My Fire
by Wand and a Paperclip
Summary: Vernon decides to move his family, plus Harry, to America for a year to expand Grunnings into the states. While there, Harry meets Kelly Gibbs, a girl who will change his life. Will eventually be Harry/Kelly, but that won't be for a while. It all depends on the response. WARNING: Rated T for rare profanity.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! My name is Rebecca and this is my first fanfiction. This story takes place in 1989. In this story, the ages and relationships of characters will be a little skewed because it is most definitely AU. At the end of the chapter in which you meet them, I will give a short bio just to make it easier to understand. It will be helpful for later chapters, specifically NCIS characters, more than this one. Also, at the beginning of each chapter, I will write whose POV it is. Usually, it will be either Harry or Kelly. However, it might change. Any reviews are welcome. Thanks and I hope that you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or NCIS**

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**Harry's POV**

I wake up to Aunt Petunia hissing into my ear, "Get up and get breakfast on, you freak." I haven't moved yet, so she takes it upon herself to make sure that I'm awake and listening to her demands. She slaps my face, hard, and during my moment of numbness she uses her long, manicured nails to peel back my eyelids.

I shoot straight up and hit my head on the cupboard ceiling. Wincing, I rub the top of my head.

"Freaks," she mumbles to herself. "Always so clumsy." Looking back at me, she continues, "We have to be at the airport soon, so none of your funny business."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," I nod and get up quickly so that she doesn't have an excuse to slap me again. She retracts her head from my cupboard door and I pull on some clothes. I forgot that today was the day when we were moving to America for a year. Uncle Vernon had decided that it would be a good business move if we moved to America for just one year.

The day that we found out about the business venture, I was dusting in the kitchen when Uncle Vernon came home from work. He barged into the house and Aunt Petunia ran to him, fussing over his wet coat and umbrella. She thrust the umbrella towards me. I abandoned my dusting to wring the water from it.

Uncle Vernon was grinning broadly and he seemed to be in a good mood.

"How was your day, sweetie?" Aunt Petunia asked.

"I have good news. Call Dudley down here, I want him to be here as well," Uncle Vernon replied.

"Dinky Duddydums, come down here, darling," Aunt Petunia called up.

"I don't want to," Dudley yelled back down. "I still have to finish up this program on the television."

Uncle Vernon chuckled, "Come here, boy. You can finish the program later. Harry will even make you some bacon. Won't you, boy?" Here he looked at me, gesturing towards the kitchen. Obviously, I wasn't allowed into their family conversation.

I could still hear them as I turned the burner on and Dudley waddled down the stairs. "Yes, Dad? What is it?"

"Good boy, getting straight to the point. That will get you far in life, unlike the freak over here," he added with a sick smile. "Anyway, Dudley, Petunia, I have decided to expand Grunnings into America. We will be moving there for one year to start up the company and then we will return. Those Yanks, they're stupid, but still pay good money. Pack your things; we will be leaving in three weeks, on July 17th. We will keep the house here. I don't want anyone else using it. Anyway, we'll have enough money after this. Go, start packing," Uncle Vernon ordered.

"Wait, dear," Aunt Petunia began. "What about the freak? Will he be coming with us?"

At her mention of me, I remembered the bacon that I was supposed to be frying. The smell of burnt bacon wafted up into my nose. Then, the smoke rose from the pan. I quickly pulled the pan off the hot burner and tried to salvage a few pieces. Dudley and Uncle Vernon, like the pigs they are, smelled the burning bacon.

Uncle Vernon crashed into the kitchen, "Freak, you burnt our bacon!" He grabbed my hand and held it onto the hot burner. I gasped in pain and tried not to cry, but a 9-year-old can only handle so much pain. The tears leaked from my eyes and sizzled as they fell. At last, Uncle Vernon let my hand go. He shoved me to the ground and walked back into the living room without saying anything else. There were bright red circular burn marks on my hand and it hurt horribly, but even with that I still managed to understand the rest of the conversation.

"Sorry, dear, what was that?" He asked Aunt Petunia when he went back in. His face was in a twisted smile.

She turned to him and smirked, "I was just wondering where the freak would go when we left."

"We'll need someone to do our housework, won't we?" He chuckled. "Yes, I think that it will be best if we bring him. I'm sure that there will be people that we can make take him for some time."

"Dad," Dudley whined. "Can I have two rooms?"

"Of course, sweetums," Aunt Petunia answered instead.

"Now," Uncle Vernon ordered. "Tomorrow, we start packing the rooms. Not everything has to go, but just the things that you'll want for the next year. We can visit once or twice, I suppose."

Over the next three weeks, we (or mostly I) have been packing all of the rooms. Dudley screamed at me when I tried to take away his televisions, computer, and other games. He had cried and thrown a tantrum until Uncle Vernon had burst into the room carrying a rifle.

He almost shot me, but Aunt Petunia stopped him at the last moment, saying that if he did, they would have to take me to the hospital. Plus, the neighbors might talk. Instead, I had curled up in the corner as he hit me with the gun over and over again, until I was entirely black and blue.

For about a week after Uncle Vernon burnt my hand, every time I brushed against something or bent it, it hurt. But when he hit me with the gun, the pain became unbearable. The strangest thing happened; the next day, my hand was fine. Not perfect or without scars, but I could use it. And the bruises, while not entirely gone, had skipped a few steps and gone straight to being a sick yellow rather than staying black and blue. I didn't tell anyone because it was freakiness, but that was when I realized that being a freak maybe isn't all bad.

Today, I have to pack all of Dudley's things up quickly before we had to go. Even though I'm going with the Dursleys, I'm excited for America. Hopefully, I can find a place to go to get away from them. Maybe Dudley won't have a gang next year. But… he always has friends because he's a good boy. I'll try not to get in trouble next year, and then maybe I can have friends.

I think about what can happen as I cook breakfast for everyone. I can hear Aunt Petunia fussing over Dudley upstairs, telling him how handsome he looks in his polo shirt and pants.

A few hours later, we leave Number 4 Privet Drive and arrive at the airport. I've never been to the airport before. It's huge and very busy. Everyone seems like they have somewhere to go. I guess they do, but it is weird to see the hundreds of people running all over the building. We pass through baggage claim, security, customs, and finally get to the plane. We board it and I get pushed against the window in the last row. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley are sitting in business class. They go up front after telling me not to do anything funny on the way there or else I'll regret it later.

I nod and curl up in a ball. The flight passes quickly; I sleep and just stare out the window. I never knew that the clouds and sky could be so beautiful. A few hours later, I start to get antsy. The lady next to me reminds me of Aunt Marge. She glares at me and hisses in my ear, "Stop fidgeting, young man! Didn't your parents teach you anything?"

I cringe, pulling back into my seat. I don't move for the rest of the flight. Soon, bells ding and a voice comes on in the overhead.

"Ladies and gentlemen," it begins. "Please make sure your seatbelts are securely fastened across your lap and your seats are in the full upright position. We are beginning our descent into Washington."

About 20 minutes later, I hear a crunch. The plane has hit ground. I hear a sweet voice coming from the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Washington D.C.!"

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**That was the first chapter, I hope you enjoyed! I will try to update at least once a week, but it may not happen. Anyway, onto the quick bios:**

**Harry Potter: Age 9, son of Lily and James Potter who died in a 'car crash', lives with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and cousin Dudley, called ****a ****freak and beat up by his cousin**

**Vernon Dursley: Age 37, Husband to Petunia Dursley, father of Dudley Dursley, uncle of Harry Potter, Director of Grunnings and wants to ****expand into the US**

**Petunia Dursley: Age 32, Wife of Vernon Dursley, mother of Dudley Dursley, aunt of Harry Potter and sister of Lily Potter, stay-at-home mom, ****loves order and a clean house**

**Dudley Dursley: Age 9, son of Petunia and Vernon Dursley, cousin to Harry Potter, loves to get with his gang and ****beat up his cousin, spoiled by his parents**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's Chapter 2. Harry moves into his new neighborhood and meets the Gibbs family.**

**Last Chapter Summary: Harry, at age 9, is moving with the Dursleys to the US. It is shown that Harry has been abused by them and he is hoping that there will be something better in America. They have just landed in DC.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or NCIS**

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**Harry's POV**

I somehow manage to find Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon before they leave in the rental car without me. They said that they have to return it and get a real car soon, but someone owes Uncle Vernon a 'favor.' All of their suitcases that they had brought on the plane are already in it. I am exhausted from the time change and the sudden mid-summer heat. It is about 35 degrees Celsius and humid. Mid-July in England is not nearly as mid-July here. With everything added together, I just want to sleep. I know, however, that I can't yet. It's only four in the afternoon Maryland time, and Uncle Vernon will have me working and setting up the new house for a while. We are moving to a house in Adelphi, Maryland. Adelphi is about 45 minutes from the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Uncle Vernon showed Aunt Petunia a picture of the house. I snuck a look at it when they were out. The house is two-stories plus an attic, and it's painted grey with grey-blue shutters. The yard is big and has a lot of trees. They look like good hiding trees that I can use when I have to run away from Dudley.

As I think about this, we pull onto our new street. Looking down it, I can see other houses similar to our new one, scattered along the sides. A lot of kids are out and about, running, laughing, and shooting basketball hoops. My eyes are drawn to a small family that is sitting outside in the grass licking ice cream cones. They all look so happy. The father has a short haircut and striking blue eyes. He's laughing about something with a little girl that is on his lap. She is sitting on his lap looking at him with big blue eyes that she got from him and bright red hair. She licks an ice cream cone and pokes her dad who also has ice cream as a woman watches from the side. The mom also has fiery red hair and blue eyes, but hers are softer than the beautiful yet piercing blue ones that her husband and daughter have.

The mom stands to the side, also laughing, as she takes a picture of the sweet moment. Looking at them, I sigh. I wish that I could have a family like that; a family that cared about me and wanted to spend time with me and just loved me for whom I am.

Uncle Vernon stops at the house next to theirs. We all hop out of the car and start to head inside before Uncle Vernon calls me back, "Boy, bring these suitcases in!"

He walks inside as I nod and try to lift Dudley's first suitcase out of the rental car, but I can't do it. After trying for a few minutes, someone notices. The man from next-door with the piercing blue eyes comes over. He kneels down so that he's at eye level with me.

"Do you need help," he asks.

I shake my head, "No, I'm a freak so I don't deserve help. You shouldn't help me. That's what my uncle says."

The man looks angry, so I shy away. His face softens and he pats my shoulder comfortingly once he realizes.

"You're not a freak," he says softly. "You're a little boy that needs help carrying heavy suitcases. It's okay to get help. You do deserve it, no matter what your uncle says. Where are your parents anyway?"

I shake my head, "My parents are dead. They died when I was one in a car crash. That's where I got this scar." I lift up my hair to show this nice man the lightning-bolt shaped scar on my forehead. Dropping the hair back into place, I explain, "I live with my aunt and uncle. My mom was my aunt's sister."

The man holds my shoulders and makes me look at him straight in the eye. "You," he says with conviction, "are not a freak. Do you understand that?"

I nod, so he continues, "I think that I'll be having a talk with—." The girl I had seen on his lap earlier runs up behind him and taps his arm with one hand. In the other, she holds her ice cream cone.

"You look sad," she tells me bluntly.

I give a small nod and she smiles at me brightly, "I know just the thing to cheer you up!"

She sticks out her hand. She's about to take my hand and lead me somewhere before the door to my new house opens.

"Boy," Uncle Vernon growls. "What's taking you so long?"

"Coming," I stammer as I try to pull one of the bags behind me. I enter the house but I stare out of the window and press my ear to the glass so that I can still know what's going on.

He then turns to the man next to me and glares at him, "What do you want?"

The nice man doesn't back down, "Sir, how you are treating your nephew is not acceptable and I will go to the authorities about it."

Uncle Vernon winces, "This is… this is none of your business! I decide how to manage my family!"

The man starts to reply just as his phone rings. He picks it up and we watch as his face becomes worried.

"Hmm… All right, I'll be there in 10 minutes… No, nothing new… Okay."

He gets off and looks at Uncle Vernon, "This is not the end of this conversation!"

The man then turns around and walks back to his house with his daughter before Uncle Vernon can say another word. After that, Uncle Vernon grabs the other bags himself and heads inside. I jump away from the window.

Once inside, things get worse. Uncle Vernon throws the bags to the floor and advances on me, "How dare you get someone else involved in how I handle you? I handle you just fine, what you deserve for being freaky! It is no one else's business how I treat you!"

I nod, knowing what is about to happen. Uncle Vernon grabs the object closest to him, which happens to be a pair of scissors. He throws them at me, and I dodge. He grabs a roll of tape, and I dodge that too. He grabs the bottom of a lamp that Aunt Petunia has started to but together, and this time, I can't dodge. He swings it like a baseball bat towards my midsection. I double over in pain and I can barely breathe. Uncle Vernon smirks and brings his bag upstairs to unpack. I curl up in the fetal position to stop myself from throwing up the little that I have in my stomach anyway. Soon, I can breathe normally and I get up slowly.

Right then, Aunt Petunia walks in, "What are you doing, boy? Stop being so lazy and unpack!" She points to one bag and then to the kitchen. "Oh, and while your at it," she adds, "make sure that there is no dust! Who knows the condition of this house!"

I take the bag and almost fall over because of the pain it causes. I start to unpack when I turn back around to Aunt Petunia, "Where do I sleep, Aunt Petunia?"

She looks back at me with an incredulous look on her face, "I will tell you when you deserve it. And right now, with having those good-for-nothing Yanks invading our privacy, I don't know when you will!"

"Yes Aunt Petunia," I mutter and go back to unpacking and cleaning.

5 hours later, I've just finished. It's 10 o'clock at night in Maryland, which means that it would be 3 in the morning back home. The kitchen is clean and everything is put away, but I am exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open, my legs feel like jelly, and I have a hard time breathing from Uncle Vernon's rage. I walk upstairs and find my aunt and uncle's bedroom. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon are getting ready for bed when I walk in.

"Aunt Petunia," I begin hesitantly. "Where do I sleep?"

She glares at me, "Are you finished putting everything away in the kitchen and cleaning it?"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," I reply.

"Show me," she demands.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon follow me down the stairs and into the kitchen. They walk around it and Aunt Petunia makes sure to skim every surface with her finger to check for dirt or dust.

When they are done, Aunt Petunia hesitates, "Everything seems to be in order. You didn't mess everything up for once. I guess you'll be sleeping in the…" She fades off and looks at Uncle Vernon. His face is purple with rage as he holds up a box.

He slowly undoes the tape and reveals another box full of pots and pans.

"I'm sorry," I stammer. "I didn't see it. I'll just put it away now!"

Uncle Vernon shakes his head, "Well, I have a surprise for you first." I barely have time to think before he grasps a pan by the handle and swings it.

I feel pain in my head and everything goes black.

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**There are no new characters introduced in this chapter that have names (yet), so you will have to wait for next time for the bios. Thank you for all the great reviews last chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's Chapter 3. Part of this chapter is just Chapter 2, except Kelly's POV. This will not be common for the story, but I thought that it might be nice just for their first meeting. Enjoy!**

**WARNING: Shannon curses once in this chapter. Sorry, Vernon just gets her really mad!**

**Last Chapter Summary: Harry arrives in his neighborhood and a man tries to help him. The man and Vernon get into an argument, but the man has to leave. Harry gets whacked in the stomach and hit on the head with a frying pan, but is still made to work.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to NCIS, Harry Potter, or Maniac Magee**

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**Kelly's POV**

I've always hated summer in Maryland. It's hot and sticky, but like everything, it has its perks. In the summer, I get to make ice cream. I love ice cream, especially the homemade kind. I learned how to in camp when I was younger, and ever since, I've made it. We all have our favorite types and flavors. Daddy likes the coffee, Mommy likes the mint chocolate chip or cookie dough, and I like the praline. It's a family tradition to make all of our favorites at some point in the summer.

Today's especially hot. It's getting up to almost 100 degrees and it's very humid. The moment I step outside, I feel gross and sticky. It's a Saturday in the middle of July, and Mommy said that today we could make Daddy's coffee ice cream. It's on of his few days off, and sometimes he gets called into work even on the weekends. He's an agent for NCIS, or the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. As Daddy likes to say, sometimes he gets called in because "killers don't rest."

But anyway, Daddy is home today, so we make coffee ice cream. I get out the ingredients and Mommy gets out the bowls and plastic bags. Daddy comes into the kitchen and helps us get everything out. When we're done, I grab the ice cream cones. I scoop the coffee ice cream into them and we bring them outside. Daddy and I sit down in the grass to eat ice cream together. The cold treat melts down the cone and our hands get even stickier than they were before.

I see Mommy sneak inside and grab the camera. I ignore her and instead turn to Daddy, "So, Daddy, do you like it?"

He laughs, "Of course, Kel. It's great!"

Daddy has a bit of an obsession with coffee. He drinks it a lot, with no milk or sugar. Mommy always makes fun of him for it because she drinks tea. She hates coffee, but still eats the ice cream. She says that the ice cream takes out the bitterness of coffee.

Daddy looks at me, "What are you thinking about?"

I shrug, "Nothing really." I look around at my neighborhood and am reminded of the house next-door to us. Our neighbors moved a few months ago and we've been waiting for new ones ever since. "Daddy," I start. "Who do you think's going to move into the Barlet's old house? Maybe I can convince Tim to! That way, I can walk to his house!"

Daddy smiles, "Honey, it's already been bought. You know that."

"Well, yes, but maybe I can convince our new neighbors to trade houses with Tim and Kate," I reply smartly.

"I don't think it works that way, sweetie," Daddy laughs.

"I know, but I can hope! Oh, and Daddy," I tap his knee impatiently. "I never got to finish telling that joke yesterday. So, why'd the chicken cross the playground?"

"Hmmm, now that's a hard one! Why?" Daddy responds.

"No, you have to guess," I start laughing.

"Let's see, he wanted to paint a picture?"

"Nope!"

"How about he had to find his Daddy?"

"Daddy, think harder!" I poke his side and keep giggling. "You're not trying."

A car I've never seen before drives behind Daddy as he screws up his face in mock frustration, "I don't know, Kel, why don't you tell me."

I'm laughing so hard at this point that I can hardly breath. I hear a click behind me and know that Mommy just took a picture of us, but I continue with my joke, "Well, Daddy, it was to get to the other slide!"

He grins and laughs with me for a moment before we both realize that the car stopped next door, "Kelly, I think we have our new neighbors!"

I see them get out of the car. There are four of them; I see a very large and ugly man with a blonde mustache and no neck, then his wife who is tall with blonde hair and very unsettling eyes, then a large boy who looks just like his father with little neck and smooth blonde hair. The last one to get out of the car looks different. He's extremely skinny like the tall woman, but has piercing green eyes and jet-black hair. He looks hesitant and a little bit in awe of the house and neighborhood. I see the big man turn to the little boy and start yelling at him. I don't know what they're saying, but the man looks mad and the little boy looks scared. The rest of the family except for the boy goes inside the house and he is left to try to get the luggage and boxes out of the car.

Next to me, Daddy seems upset. He stands up and goes over to Mommy. They talk for a moment before he puts his ice cream in the trashcan and walks over to our neighbor's house. I walk over to Mommy and hold her hand while licking my almost forgotten ice cream. I watch Daddy squat down so that he is at the boy's level.

I see the boy respond to something Daddy says with a shake of his head. His eyes always look downcast and focus on the ground. Daddy looks angry for a second and I'm not sure what the boy has done, but soon Daddy tries to comfort the boy by putting a hand on his shoulder.

I feel badly. The boy appears to be really scared and shies away from Daddy. Daddy stops him and does something he's done with me many times before; he forces the little boy to look him directly in the eyes. Daddy does that when he wants someone to really understand something or make them remember it.

As I watch them, I want to do something to make the boy happier. For some reason, I really want to just help him. I run over to Daddy before Mommy can call me back. I tap his arm to let him know I'm here before I turn to the boy.

"You look sad," I tell the boy. He nods and I give him a smile.

"I know just the thing to cheer you up!" I hold out my hand. I want to bring him to the tree house that Daddy made for me a few years ago. It has a slide and swings and it's my secret place. It took me over two years of knowing any of my friends before I showed it to them, but right now I think that the boy really needs it.

Whenever I was having a bad day, I would go up there and just sit and look outside. It always made things better.

The boy eyes my hand cautiously. He's about to take it anyway when the door opens. The big man comes out and looks mad.

"Boy, what's taking you so long?" He questions the boy. I notice that they have British accents.

"Coming," The boy instantly complies and lugs one of the bags behind him slowly. He enters the house and closes the door.

The man then turns to Daddy, "What do you want?" He asked rudely.

Daddy just stares right back at him, "Sir, how you are treating your nephew is not acceptable and I will go to the authorities about it."

I guess that the little boy was this man's nephew. I hadn't heard him say that, but I guess the boy told Daddy that before I got there.

The man seems a little frightened by the threat, "This is… this is none of your business! I decide how to manage my family!"

Daddy's about to reply when his phone rings.

Daddy picks up the phone, "Hmm… All right, I'll be there in 40 minutes… No, nothing new… Okay." He looks a little worried when he hangs up.

"This is not the end of this conversation!" Daddy makes a point to tell the man this. He and I walk back to our house and Mommy comes to meet us.

"I'm sorry, I would have come to help you yell at that… that bastard, but Gina called. You know how she can get," Mommy tells Daddy.

Daddy raises his eyebrows, "Shan…"

She looks down at me, "Oh, sorry honey, I didn't mean to use bad language in front of you. That man just… I can't believe he would treat a little kid like that! I could hear a little of your conversation and, well…"

Daddy turns to me, "Kelly, can you go upstairs for a minute? I need to talk to Mommy alone."

I nod, "Okay." I run up the stairs and then open up my vent. I may have been sent upstairs, but I can still listen to their conversation. I'm the daughter of an investigator; I have been taught and taught myself a lot. I put my ear to the vent like Ari showed me and I listen closely. I can hear hushed voices down below.

"Shannon, that kid, it was bad. I wanted to just kill that man then and there! I can't say anything because if I do and I'm wrong, then it could end up being worse for the boy. That kid… He was so small and he looked so weak. He asked my why I was helping him if since he was a freak! And then, when I got angry at that comment, he shrunk back. Shan, I think he may have been abused. I don't know what to do, but I need to do something," Daddy finishes his rant and sits down with a quiet thud.

"I know, love," Mommy says. "I know. I'll do anything I can to help, but we just need to make sure that Kelly doesn't get in the middle of this. Gina said that Rob's in court today, so I can talk to Rob in the morning."

I can see Daddy nod through the cracks, "Okay, I just want to do something. That boy doesn't deserve to be called freak and possibly starved." Daddy shakes his head but then puts on a fake smile, "Kel, you can come down now."

When I come down, he starts talking, "I have to go into work. Franks just called and said that Ducky found a lead. I have to go in, I'm so sorry. I wish that I didn't have to go. Hopefully I'll be back by tonight. I'll call in a few hours," Daddy sighs.

"Okay, dear, I understand. Just remember to call so that we don't get too worried. You need to go in and find out who murdered that poor woman," Mommy shakes her head at the horror. Daddy's already there to squeeze her hand for a second. My parents are so in tune with one another. All my friends say how my parents are so much in love. Mommy always says that it's because they understand each other and talk about everything.

"Don't worry, this shouldn't be a dangerous op. Oh, and love, can you do me a favor? Can you bake something as a welcome to the neighborhood gift for our new neighbors? It will be a way to make sure that the boy is all right, but I don't want to make it worse. I'm afraid I did by yelling at the uncle earlier. He was treated so badly, Shan, I couldn't stop myself. It was awful. I'm around death for a living, and I can barely handle seeing an emaciated and scared boy," Daddy's voice breaks at the end.

"Of course," Mommy agrees. "And I'd like to give them a piece of my mind, although maybe it's better that I didn't. I was about to go over when Gina called. And I just couldn't get her off… Sorry, I just get so angry," Mommy added softly.

"How is your sister," Daddy chuckles.

"Good, but now," Mommy kisses Daddy quickly and I shrink back, "you have to go. Say goodbye and go see Franks. He'll be mad you're taking this long. Oh, and say hello to him for me. "

Daddy hugs me and kisses me on the top of my head, "Thanks for the ice cream, sweetie. And I liked that chicken joke."

"Bye Shan," Daddy hugs Mommy. "I'll be back soon. I love you both!"

He drives away as Mommy pulls out a cookbook and flips to the recipe for her famous snickerdoodles. I run around the kitchen, grabbing ingredients as Mommy calls them out. About an hour later, a big batch has been whipped up and we slide them onto a plate to take to our new neighbor's house later. As we wait for Daddy to get home, I curl up on the couch and read a book.

By 18:00, Daddy's home from work. He looks exhausted, but he comes in with a big smile. I run up to great him and he hugs me tightly. Mommy comes up behind me and kisses him.

"Jethro, how was work?" Mommy asks.

He shrugs, and it's obvious that he doesn't want to talk about it. "Hard," he replies. "But now I'm home with my girls, so I don't need to think about it."

I smile and give him an extra hug. He squeezes lightly back, before grinning at me, "Kel, did you and Mommy make snickerdoodles?"

I nod, "Yep."

He starts to head towards the kitchen when Mommy smacks him on the back of the head, "Those are for after dinner. We also have a plate to bring to the new neighbors." Her voice sours a bit as she finishes the sentence. Her face brightens quickly as she turns back to Daddy, "But, you can help with dinner!"

Daddy and I head into the kitchen to help Mommy prepare dinner. Tonight we're having dumplings and sprouts. I help clean everything and turn the stove on, but there isn't much to do to prepare for dinner tonight.

By the time that dinner is over, we are all too tired to visit the neighbors with the small black-haired boy. I take a shower and read Maniac Magee with my parents. We all fall asleep soon after chapter 5 ends.

The next afternoon, Mommy and Daddy decide that it's a good time to welcome our neighbors to the neighborhood. We walk over and knock on the door.

The tall lady answers the door and glares at us, "Yes, can I help you?"

Mommy tries to be polite, but I can tell that she's having a hard time, "Oh, no, we just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood since you're new here and we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. My daughter, Kelly, and I bakes some cookies for you all." She hands the cookies to the woman. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Shannon Gibbs, and this is my husband, Jethro."

Daddy looks up sharply, "You can just call me Gibbs."

"Petunia, who is it?" We hear a man call from somewhere in the house.

"Some of our neighbors, Vernon. They were just welcoming us," She yells back, before looking at us again. "My name is Petunia Dursley, and that is my husband, Vernon Dursley. We just moved here from England."

We see him come barreling down the hallway towards us. "Thank you, these look good," He tells us gruffly.

"Do you have any children?" Mommy asks. I can tell that she's trying to be more polite than Daddy yesterday, but the man isn't taking it well. He keeps glaring at Daddy and looks like he wants to explode.

"Yes, one son, named Dudley," he replies proudly. He then turns around, "Dudley, come meet the neighbors!"

I have to hold back a snicker at his name, but I manage to swallow my laughter and act polite, "How old is he?"

"Nine years old," the woman smirks at us.

I almost raise my eyebrows in surprise. Yesterday, when I saw the boy, he looked much larger than a nine year old should have been. He, like his father, waddles rather than walks towards us. "Hello," he holds out his hand. "I'm Dudley. And you are?"

"Kelly," I reply with a small smile. I don't really want to, but I try to start a conversation anyway, "So, what do you like to do?"

"Well," he begins, and I don't listen past that. I occasionally nod, but I'm not paying attention as he rambles on. I can hear the big man talk about why they moved here. He's discussing his drill company, and I can tell that he wants to impress my parents so that they forget about yesterday and won't bring it up again.

But I haven't. Instead of listening to him or his son, I'm trying to look for any sign of the small boy I saw yesterday. At one point, I think that I see him peek his head out. I wave, but he's gone and I'm not sure if I even saw him to begin with. About 10 minutes later, the boy has finally stopped talking and I have no more patience, "Where's the other boy that was here yesterday?"

He looks at me like I just mentioned something that was off-limits. "Oh, you mean the freak?" He stammers out.

"That boy was not a freak!" I insist.

Dudley laughs, "Of course he is. He's just like his parents. They were drunkards and we got stuck with him. My aunt always says that he's lucky we didn't send him to an orphanage."

I glare at him, "You shouldn't treat him like that! He deserves just as much care as you, if not better!"

By this time, his father and mother have stopped talking to stare at me. My parents have as well.

"This is not your business," the man roars.

"Honey, say you're sorry," Mommy tells me.

I grimace but do it anyway, "I'm sorry, sir, that wasn't my business. How you treat him is up to you." I can't handle being here anymore, so I glance down at my watch like I have somewhere to be. It's a trick I picked up from Daddy; he does it when he needs an excuse to leave.

"Daddy, I have to go. Ziva and Abby are coming over, remember," he raises his eyebrows at me but he understands what I'm doing. I can see in his eyes that he's proud of me for the way I defended the boy.

"Oh, that's right! I'm very sorry," he turns to our neighbors with a fake smile. "We'll have to talk another time. We'll see you around!"

We leave and head out, but not before I see the green-eyed boy poke his head out at me shyly. I smile at him. His eyes grow big, as if he were surprised, but he gives me a small smile back anyway. It isn't until I get home that I realize that he was wearing a bandage on his head.

* * *

**Character Bios:**

**Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Age 35, Husband of Shannon Gibbs nee Fielding, father of Kelly Gibbs, NCIS agent, former Marine (although there is no such thing...)**

**Shannon Fielding Gibbs: Age 35, Wife of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, mother of Kelly Gibbs, preschool teacher**

**Kelly Gibbs: Age 9, Daughter of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Shannon Gibbs nee Fielding, goes to school and is friends with Abby, Ziva, and Tim**

**Since Ziva, Tim, Kate and Abby are only mentioned, I will not be doing their bios yet. However, *spoiler* you will meet some of them and many other characters next chapter. Until then!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry about the late update... I had no electricity for a while... Here's Chapter 4. Kelly's first day of fourth grade.**

**If you only read stories in which Tony is nice, read this *SPOILER ALERT*: For the beginning of the story, Tony is a bully and not very nice. However, he will become much better, I promise. I, like so many others, love Tony, so that won't be a problem. I hope that you stick with me anyway!**

**This is definitely my favorite chapter so far; let me know what you think!**

**Last Chapter Summary: Kelly's POV on her meeting with Harry and how her parents feel about it. A little insight into her life. Also, it is revealed that Harry was hurt by Vernon, but it is unclear how hurt Harry is.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to NCIS or Harry Potter. My only creation is Mrs. Wiles.**

* * *

**Kelly's POV**

September 2, 1989

Dear Diary,

Daddy didn't come home last night. He sometimes has nights like this, when he doesn't come home until late that night or the next morning. But even then, he always comes into my room to kiss me goodnight. I can tell; Mommy doesn't like these nights. She paces and picks up the phone to call Daddy, make sure that he's all right. Most times, she won't press the call button. Instead, she stares at it for a few minutes and then puts the phone down again. She pretends not to be worried in front of me, but I can tell. I'm nine, not a baby anymore. Although, it has gotten better than it was at the beginning. A few years ago, Daddy decided to leave the Marines and start work at NCIS. Now he catches the bad guys and puts them behind bars.

They aren't easy to catch, though. Daddy works hard. It's nights like these where he stays at work trying to stop the murderers out there. These nights happen about once a week. Daddy gets a hard case and works late into the night. Or sometimes, he has to leave in the middle of the night. He'll get a call into work. He always tells us goodbye, whether it's in the morning before I go to school or at 02:00. Daddy doesn't like leaving us as much as we don't like him leaving.

A little while after Mommy doesn't call Daddy, she'll be at it again. When she gets really worried and hasn't heard from Daddy in a while, she calls Uncle Ducky. Uncle Ducky and Daddy work together, but Uncle Ducky doesn't chase the bad guys. He's the one that looks at dead bodies and helps Daddy find out how the people died. Uncle Ducky's not my real uncle, and his name isn't really Ducky. He's just my dad's best friend. I call him Ducky because that's what everyone calls him. Only his mom calls him Donald.

Uncle Ducky's nice. He wears these pretty bowties and tells me stories about when he was a kid, growing up in Sc—

I have to go, Mommy's calling!

-Kelly

"Kelly," Mommy calls up the stairs. "Come down. It's time for breakfast. We have to leave in 15 minutes if you want to be on time."

"Coming," I yell down. I close my journal and pull on sneakers over my lucky purple socks. I grab my backpack and check to make sure that everything is there. I have my notebook, folders, pencils, and an eraser. Grinning, I run downstairs and sit down at the table. Mommy hands me a plate with a few slices of peach.

"So," she smiles as I begin to eat. "Are you excited to start 4th grade? You're getting so big! Jelly Bean, how old are you again," she teases.

I laugh, "Mommy, you aren't Uncle Ducky! Only he's allowed to call me Jelly Bean."

"Alright, alright," she concedes. "But you didn't answer my question. Are you looking forward to being in Mrs. Wiles' class?"

"Mmhm," I reply through a mouthful of peach. "Ari had her a few years ago and said that she's really nice. Plus, Ziva, Abby and Tim are in my class, too! I can't wait to see them!"

Mommy chuckles, "You've seen Ziva almost every week of the summer. And you saw Tim and Abby yesterday!"

The toaster pops out two pieces of toast. I grab them and spread on the strawberry jam as I reply, "I know, but now I'll see all of them all the time!"

As I eat, a sad look comes over Mommy's face.

"Mommy," I begin quietly. "When's Daddy coming home?"

"I don't know, sweetie. When he catches the bad guy he'll come back. But while you finish, do you want me to check with Uncle Ducky?" Mommy asks.

"Yes, please," I nod.

Mommy picks up the phone and dials his number, "Hey Duck, have you heard from Jethro… Oh? That sounds good… I'll let her know… Thanks Duck! Remember, you're coming over for dinner on Friday… Bye!"

Hanging up, she turns to me, "Uncle Ducky said that Daddy called a few minutes ago. He couldn't call here because he had to go, but he knew that Uncle Ducky could let us know. He's fine and he'll be home tonight, okay?"

"Okay, I hope everything goes as planned, because I want to see Daddy."

Mommy smiles sadly, "I know, sweetie. He'll be home tonight. Remember, on Friday we're having Uncle Ducky and Uncle Mike over." She glances at the clock, "Ready to go?"

I nod and put my plate in the dishwasher. Opening the refrigerator, Mommy hands me my lunch and we walk outside.

We get into the car and drive off to school. I impatiently bounce up and down in the back seat the whole way to school. When we get there, I practically jump out of the car before it even stops moving.

"Have fun, sweetie, I'll see you later," Mommy blows me a kiss and waves goodbye before driving off.

Spotting Ziva and her older brother, Ari, I run over to them. "Hey, Ziva. Hey, Ari."

Ari gives me a quick hug before he runs to see his friends. He's in 7th grade and really cool. He and Ziva are like my siblings because I don't have any.

Ziva grins at me, "Let's go. I want to get a good seat this year."

I nod and we walk inside. I look around at the familiar halls and doors. We walk to the end of the hallway and turn right. Then we open the second door on the left like Ari told us to and we go inside. The room is big and the walls are off-white. There are three long tables with chairs on either side. Ziva and I are the first ones in the classroom.

Mrs. Wiles smiles as we enter, "Welcome to 4th grade! I'm Mrs. Wiles. Who are you two?"

"Kelly Gibbs," I reply. She looks down at her clipboard and makes a check.

"Ziva David, you had my brother Ari a few years ago," Ziva says.

Mrs. Wiles grins, "Of course! I remember him. You two look very much alike. Tell him hello from me."

Ziva nods as Mrs. Wiles points to the seats around the room, "Take your pick, but I may be moving you. It depends on how talkative this class is when they pick out their own seats."

We look around the room and sit down at the first table as Tim and Abby walk in. I pat the seat next to me. After talking with Mrs. Wiles, they come over.

"Hey, Tim," I ask. "So, what class is Kate in? She wouldn't tell me yesterday." Kate's Tim's older sister, and like Ari, she's in 7th grade.

"She has Mr. Fromes with Ari," he replies. "That's why she wouldn't tell."

Abby grins, "Yeah, and when Tim reminded Kate that Ari was in her class, she blushed. I pointed it out and she blushed more. Then Ari came over to us. By then, her face was bright red!"

We all laugh, because since we were little, we've been trying to get the two of them together so that Ziva and Tim can be real siblings. Abby's trying the hardest even though neither of them is related to her.

More people walk in and sit down, talking and laughing as they catch up with their friends.

I see Tony DiNozzo come in and I warn my friends, "Guys, DiNozzo's here."

Tony DiNozzo was the most annoying kid in my grade. He thought that he was amazing and that everyone loved him. He always made fun of Tim and me because our parents worked for the government. He said that the jobs our parents had were ones that anyone could get. My dad's a federal agent for NCIS. He used to be a Marine, but when Grandma Jo died and then Mommy lost her second baby, he quit to be with us and became an agent. Tim and Kate's dad is a Navy officer. He loves it and is very patriotic.

Tony's parents don't work. His family is really rich and he always makes fun of us because we don't have that much money. We're not in need of money, but we can't just go around spending it.

"Hey McPoor, how's the family?" Tony taunts. "Oh, look, with that money you can't even get good friends. Here you are spending time with the terrorist, the kid with the weird clothes, and your fellow blue collar daughter."

"Shut up, DiNozzo! Just because you're rich doesn't make you better than us!" Abby retorts.

Ziva looks like she wants to lunge at him, but she stops herself just in time, "I'm from Israel, you numbskull! The US and Israel are allies, not enemies! And Abby does not dress strangely! She likes to wear different things than what we normally wear, but that's fine with us! As long as she likes it. And Kelly, well, Kelly's dad stops the murderers from killing you. You should be thankful that he does what he does! So just, go run back to your Daddy and maybe he can hire you a hit man to kill us. But don't worry, we'll still haunt your dreams," she smirks.

"Yeah," I add. "Unlike you, Tim doesn't need to buy his friends. We're friends with him for who he is, not the money he has."

"Thanks, Kel," Tim smiles at me. He's not very good at standing up to DiNozzo.

Mrs. Wiles is starting to notice our confrontation and she comes over to us with a frown on her face, "Is there a problem here?"

"No, Mrs. Wiles," Abby replies sweetly. "We were just telling DiNozzo here how excited we all are to be in the same class as him."

Giving us a disbelieving look, Mrs. Wiles starts to turn away, "All right. Tony, find yourself a seat, dear."

DiNozzo sticks his tongue out at us and walks away just as a bell rings.

Mrs. Wiles goes up to the front of the room and clears her throat, waiting for us to stop talking. "Welcome to 4th grade everyone! My name is Mrs. Wiles and I will be your teacher this year. Any questions?

We all shake our heads and she keeps going, "Good. Then we'll get started." She gets out a large carton of books and I can read a few of the titles. "Here's your first assignment. You will have to pick a book and write a rep-," the door of the classroom opens with a bang.

I look over and see my new neighbors standing in the doorframe. I haven't seen them since we dropped the cookies off mid-July.

Mr. Dursley strides into the room to talk quietly with Mrs. Wiles. Dudley and the small, green-eyed boy stay back. I remember that the boy had a bandage on his head the last time I saw him, but now he seems all right, just a little nervous. I see Mrs. Wiles nod and smile occasionally. Mr. Dursley turns around and has a quick, angry conversation with the small boy before leaving. I want to run up there and remind him of how passionate my family can be. He had the… pleasure of seeing my father upset, but it can get much worse. Ziva taps my arm and gives me a look that says, "Are you okay?"

"That's Harry," I mouth to her.

She raises her eyebrows, "He's our age?"

"I guess so, I told you he wasn't treated well. Daddy thinks that he's starved," I let Ziva know.

Before anything can happen, Mrs. Wiles beckons the two boys forward. Dudley tramps to the front of class, pushing the smaller boy over. He stumbles and inches forward slowly. Mrs. Wiles coaxes the little boy forward and I see DiNozzo flapping his arms and making clucking noises like a chicken. His friend, Philip McCadden, is cracking up at it.

"All right, that's enough," Mrs. Wiles says firmly. "I want all of you to welcome our two new classmates. We had a smaller class than the others, so we were lucky enough to get them. They come from England. Please make them feel welcome." She turns to the two boys and smiles, "Boys and girls, say hello to your new classmates, Dudley Dursley and Harry Potter."

* * *

**Character Bios *Ari, Tim, and Tony's are important to read because they are AU, Abby and Philip are basically canon*:**

**Mrs. Wiles: Age 54, has taught 4th grade for 22 years, loves her students**

**Ziva David: Age 9, Daughter of Eli and Rivka David, sister to Ari and Tali**

**Ari David: Age 12, Son of Eli and Rivka David, in 7th grade**

**Abigail "Abby" Sciuto: Age 9, Daughter of Eliza and Dave Sciuto, sister to Luca Sciuto, likes to dress in black clothing, in 4th grade**

**Timothy "Tim" Todd-McGee: Age 9, Son of William and Anna Todd-McGee, brother to Sarah and Kate Todd-McGee, shy and has a hard time standing up for himself, in 4th grade**

**Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo: Age 9, Son of Anthony and Julia DiNozzo, brother to Joey DiNozzo, comes from a family of a lot of money, bullies other students**

**Philip McCadden: Age 9, friend to Tony, likes to bully other students, not much is known about his family**

**More will be explained next chapter on the kid's relationships with each other and their families.**

**Thanks and please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's chapter 5. It's the first day of fourth grade, told from both Harry and Kelly's perspectives. It gives a bit of background on Ziva and introduces the Harry Potter world- kind of... It also brings in the McNicknames, although they aren't so nice this time around.**

**WARNING: There will be cursing in this chapter. It is in Hebrew, but I have translated it (I know a little), so you can still understand what is being said. Yes, I know that they're young, but Ziva does have an older, teenage, angsty brother. Does the name Ari ring any bells?**

**Last Chapter Summary: Gibbs didn't come home the night before and Kelly and Shannon are a little worried. He says that he's fine. Kelly goes to her first day of fourth grade where she meets up with her friends Ziva, Abby and Tim. A boy named DiNozzo comes over and teases them. Dudley and Harry enter the class.**

**The books mentioned in this chapter are from a list that I found on good fourth and fifth grade level reading books. I was reading these at that age, but please mention if you think that they are not appropriate.**

**Disclaimer: I do own NCIS, Harry Potter, Bud, Not Buddy, Half Upon a Time, Old Yeller, Frindle, or The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. **

* * *

**Harry's POV**

The teacher, whose name I soon find out is Mrs. Wiles, sits me next to a girl names Annie Glenn. She is a tall Asian girl with straight black hair and dark brown eyes. I look around the room shyly as Mrs. Wiles talks, trying to keep my head down. I see Dudley sitting with the two boys that were making fun of me earlier. They look as if they are having a good time and are friends already. I wouldn't doubt it; Dudley always makes friends easily. I guess I know whom I'll have to watch for this year.

In the opposite corner of the room, I see my neighbor, the girl with flaming red hair and a bright smile. I think her name is Kelly, Kelly Gibbs. I haven't seen the Gibbs' since the time that they brought over the cookies. I heard Kelly try to stick up for me. I couldn't understand why she or her father would want to stick up for a freak like me against my uncle, but I remember waving and smiling at them anyway. She gave me a small wave back and it kept me happy for the rest of the week.

When I came to class this morning, I was scared. I hate school because if I do better than Dudley in anything, I get in trouble. Dudley isn't the hardest person to do better than in school. The teachers always dislike me and think that I'm really stupid, but it's because I have to be worse than Dudley. All my teachers told me how much better Dudley was than me and that my relatives were right, I am a freak.

All the other kids either bully me or just ignore me. At recess, I was usually alone. And if I wasn't, it was because I was being chased or beaten up by Dudley and his gang. I remember when I was younger; I tried to tell the teachers. I soon realized that they wouldn't help. Dudley always came up with some story about how he was just defending himself. I would be suspended. Uncle Vernon would lock me in the cupboard with little food and water as a punishment and I soon understood that a freak like me doesn't get help.

The kids that weren't part of Dudley's gang just ignored me. If anyone tried to be nice to me then—

"Mr. Potter, go join your classmates," Mrs. Wiles interrupts my musings. She points to the students all looking through a stack of books. "Pick a book."

"I don't know which one to take," I mumble.

Dudley and the two other boys start to snicker, so she glares at them. "Just pick one that you think is on your reading level," she tells me sternly, but kindly. "Later this week, we'll assess if it really is."

I try to hide it from the Dursley's, but I am actually a pretty good reader. I try to read whatever I can. I would read in the library for hours if I didn't have chores, but those days were rare. I see a book on the bottom of the pile and decide to choose it just because I like the title and there aren't many books left. I see one of my favorite books, Frindle, but decide to choose the one below it. The title is Bud, Not Buddy. I like the way it sounds; the title seems a little different and defiant. I take the book and head back to my seat. I see that Annie has taken a book called Half Upon a Time.

As Mrs. Wiles hands out directions for our first assignment and begins to explain them, I zone out again.

I think back to any time a kid tried to be nice to me. Dudley would threaten them and then beat them up so that they would ignore me. I'm not worth the effort.

Here, I know that it'll be the same. I doubt that Kelly will even say hello to me here. She'll be like everyone else; she won't want to be friends with a freak. Besides, Kelly already has friends. I saw them talking and laughing with each other.

They look like an odd group. There's Kelly with her bright red hair and blue eyes; another girl sits next to her who has black hair tied up in pigtails and wears a tutu with a black shirt and mix-matched socks. Uncle Vernon would call her a freak, too, but somehow she has friends. There are two other kids who are friends with them; there's a slightly pudgy, quiet, and studious boy as well as a girl with crazy, dark brown hair, a necklace, and very fast reflexes.

I'm really surprised that they're not like me, a kid with no friends.

I pay attention as Mrs. Wiles finishes explaining the directions for the assignment and tells us to start reading our books. I open Bud, Not Buddy to the first page and begin to read.

"Here we go again. We were all standing in line for breakfast when one of the caseworkers cane in and tap-tap-tapped down the line. Uh-oh, this meant bad news…"

* * *

**Kelly's POV**

As Mrs. Wiles is explaining the directions for the assignment, I write a quick note and pass it to Ziva.

_"Ziva, Abby, Tim,_

_When Mrs. Wiles tells us to start reading, I need to tell you all something."_

Ziva reads it and nods, passing it on. I quickly mouth to her, "This is what I was talking about earlier."

Her face tells me that she understands. Looking over at Abby, I see that she is very worried. She can be dramatic and always assumes the worst, or best, depending on the situation. Once Tim is done reading it, he passes it back to me. It has another line added by Abby on it, "Is everyone okay? What's wrong?"

I smile and shake my head at her, "Later."

She pouts but agrees and looks back down at her paper and at her book, Old Yeller. She chose it because of the cute dog on the cover. She loves animals and is very passionate.

Finally, Mrs. Wiles tells us to begin reading. All three of my friends prop their books up and then look expectantly at me.

"So you know the Dursleys and their nephew that I was telling you about, my new neighbors?" They nod, so I continue.

"Well, our new classmates are my neighbors. Dudley is a Dursley and Harry Potter was the little boy that I told you about—," I'm cut off by Dudley, DiNozzo, and McCadden laughing. Mrs. Wiles walks over to them and tells them to go back to their books.

Shaking my head in disgust, I keep going, "He was so sad and had that bandage. Luckily, he seems better now, but he thought that he was a freak and deserved to be treated badly. Daddy thinks that his family made him have the bandage. I feel so badly for him!"

Abby shrieks in indignation, and Mrs. Wiles comes over, "Do I need to separate any of you?"

"No Mrs. Wiles, sorry," Abby insists. "The book just made me mad. With…" Abby checks the book quickly. "With the boy saying that he shot the dog!"

Mrs. Wiles smiles slightly, "Just keep your voice down and exclamations to yourself."

"Okay," Abby nods and then turns her head back to her book.

When Mrs. Wiles goes to check on the three troublemakers again, Abby urges me to continue. I shake my head, "I'll tell you the rest at recess. It should be soon."

We all turn our attention to the book that we have in front of us. I look down and try to start reading the book The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, but I can't concentrate. I keep thinking of how much I want to help the boy. I'll try to talk to him during recess or lunch after I've finished telling my friends.

Over the summer, I had told them about what had happened with my dad, the Dursleys and the little boy, but they hadn't actually seen them. I didn't know if Dudley and –now I knew that his name was Harry—Harry were coming to Adelphi Elementary School with us. When I told Ziva about what happened, she was so mad.

_Flashback_

_"Ziva, you know the Barlet's house? We got new neighbors," I tell her excitedly, but with reservation._

_"Do they have kids? Are they nice? Where are they from?" She spits out the questions quickly. Seeing my face, she adds another question, "What's wrong?"_

_I laugh a little, but sober up as I think about the little boy, "One at a time. They're from England. There's a dad, mom, son, and nephew. The dad's name is Vernon Dursley. He's really fat and looks like a walrus. He's expanding his drill business into the US."_

_Ziva wrinkles her nose._

_"The mom is Petunia Dursley. She's kind of mean, and has a shrill voice. She's tall and skinny, with a really long neck. She always looks to her husband for everything._

_"Their son's name is Dudley," Ziva smiles as I tell her this._

_"What kind of name is that?" she asks with a laugh._

_"I don't know what they were thinking when they named him, but anyway, he looks like a smaller version of her dad. He has no neck and is also really fat._

_"The last one is the boy's cousin. I don't know his name. He is little with green eyes and black hair. When they moved here, Mr. Dursley made the little boy take the suitcases in even though he's tiny and it must have been really heavy. My dad went over there and talked to the boy, asking if he needed help. I overheard Daddy telling Mommy later that the little boy said that he doesn't deserve help because he's a freak—,"_

_"בנזונה (Son of a Bitch)," Ziva yells, waving her arms frantically. "What does that ממזר (Bastard) think he's talking about? That boy is their משפחה (Family), you have to—,"_

_"Ziva let me finish, then you can use whatever curses Ari taught you in Hebrew and yell as much as you want when I'm done," I give a small smile._

_She nods, so I continue, "It was awful! I went over and offered to show him my secret tree house, but his uncle came out before I could. Daddy and the man got into a fight because Daddy told him that he was treating his nephew badly._

_"Then Daddy's phone rang and he had to go into work, but he was really worried for the boy. He told Mommy that he thought the boy might have been abused, but he wasn't sure. Mommy and I baked cookies to bring over to the neighbors, saying sorry for intruding on their personal life and welcome to the neighborhood. Really, though, it was to check on the little boy. Daddy thought that he might have made things worse by yelling at Mr. Dursley, and by going over we could see if the boy was okay._

_"We didn't see the boy the whole time that we were there until the end. I asked where he was and when Dudley called him a freak, I yelled at him. I had to apologize and then I made an excuse to leave. As we were leaving, I saw the boy poking his head out from behind the stairs. He looked sad, so I smiled at him. His eyes got really big and he seemed surprised, but he smiled back anyway. After I left, I realized that he was wearing a bandage on his head. I don't know what happened and I haven't seen him since._

_"Okay Ziva, you can let it out now," I touch her arm lightly._

_"That man is worse than my father! How could he do that to a little child?" Ziva growls._

_"What's wrong with your dad, Ziva? I've never heard you or Ari talk about him before. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, though," I add quickly._

_"No, it's all right," she tells me softly. "My dad, you know he is the Director of Mossad, right?" I nod in confirmation, and she continues. "He doesn't think of me as a daughter. I'm just a way to look better in Mossad. He wanted to train me so that I would be a Mossad agent like him, but I never wanted to. I don't want to kill; I just want to stop people from killing!_

_"When אמא (Mother) died, I was five. He became bad. He would always do things without thinking if it would hurt us. He made Ari learn how to shoot and he had an agent teach me how to throw knives. The agents were mean and resorted to doing mean things if we couldn't do it. Ari sometimes got really mad at my dad and it was scary," she admits softly. I try to hug her, but she waves me off. Ziva doesn't like showing emotion._

_"I rarely talked to him, and when I did it was always something that I needed to work on. I could never be good enough. And when I wasn't good enough, then…" Ziva trails off and I see her fighting tears._

_I hug her tightly and we go off to the tree house to just sit._

_After a few minutes, Ziva turns to me again, "Do you know why we moved here?"_

_I nod, "You needed to get away from everything in Israel."_

_"It wasn't just that. My dad couldn't be bothered with Ari and me, so he sent us to live with our Aunt Nettie," Ziva tells me._

_"Ziva, you're not a bother! You're one of my best friends in the whole world, and I don't know what I'd do without you!" I tell her._

_She laughs, "You're acting like Abby! All emotional and passionate!"_

_"Is it helping?" I ask._

_"Yeah," she says softly. "But I need Kelly. I need the Kelly that gives me advice and is helpful."_

_"Okay," I say. Ziva's pretty mature because of what happened to her in Israel. "Is your Aunt Nettie nice?"_

_"She is, but she's not my mom."_

_"I know, but you have me and my parents, and you can always talk to Ari about your mom. You know that she loved you and my parents love you just as much as me," I remind Ziva. "On second thought, maybe even more," I add._

_Ziva laughs, "Thanks, Kel. Now, what can we do for Harry? Can I meet him? Is he okay?"_

_"I don't know," I shrug. "You probably shouldn't meet him, though, because his aunt and uncle would get mad and might hurt him. If we can help, I'll let you know."_

_She agrees and we talk about other things until Ari picks her up to go home._

_End Flashback_

I look down at my book to read until Mrs. Wiles calls us, "Put your books down everybody. You have recess for half an hour before lunch. Go on everyone, remember to be careful!"

We all run outside before Mrs. Wiles finishes her last sentence.

Abby, Ziva, Tim and I sit down on the blacktop. Abby looks like she's about to explode, "So that was Harry?"

I nod in confirmation so she continues, "He was so small! Does he eat at all? I just wanted to hug him! Kelly, can I come over to your house so we can yell at your neighbors? I just don't know what we should do and –."

Tim cuts her off, "Abby, take a deep breath. Let's go find him and invite him to play with us."

Ziva smiles at him, "Good idea, Tim."

Tim will do whatever he can to help, but he can be really shy. Hopefully, he can talk to Harry. He's a great friend. He sometimes says things that can really get you happy.

We all get up and look around for Harry. I spot him cowering against a tree as Dudley, DiNozzo and McCadden are poking and hitting him.

Before anyone can stop me, I run over to them.

"Dudley, what do you think you're doing? And DiNozzo and McCadden, when will you grow up? You're acting like your five! You know that it's not nice to beat someone up, especially three on one. What's Harry done to you?" I spit out.

"Well," Dudley taunts back. "I can think of something… He was born. And then his parents were drunk and died, so we got landed with him. And who are you to tell me this? You're not my mother. Besides, why would you want to help a freak like him?"

"He's not a freak! If anyone is, you are for being so mean to him. Harry's a nice person. He deserves friends, unlike you!"

Abby, Ziva and Tim run up behind me. "Leave him alone," Abby folds her arms across her chest.

Dudley glares at her, "Get away from here and stop telling me what to do. I'll come beat you up and tell my Daddy that you were… were doing something!"

Ziva lets out a string of Hebrew curses, "I can beat you up in more ways than you would think possible! Why do you want to hurt him? DiNozzo, McCadden, what's he done to you?"

"Uhhh," DiNozzo starts. "As Big-D over here said, he was born. That's a good reason! Who wants freaks here, anyway?"

"We don't want freaks, we want Harry," Tim says, out of the blue "Don't you have something better to do than pick on him?"

"Yeah, pick on you, McFreakshow," McCadden laughs.

"Just leave Harry and us alone," I glare at them.

"Wow, standing up for your boyfriend? How cute," DiNozzo smirks. "Now get out of the way before I hurt you more." He turns to his gang, "Come on guys, they aren't worth it today. They'll get sick of that freak soon and will help us hurt him."

Dudley pushes me roughly to the side and I stumble.

Then everything happens. During this whole time, Harry had just been slumped against the tree, trembling. But when I looked over, I saw that he was standing and looked angry. Suddenly, the air changed. The little breeze turned into wind and it swirled around us. It pushed Dudley, DiNozzo, and McCadden away, sending them to the ground roughly.

Then, it was over. The air calmed and Harry was trembling and scared again. The little gang was lying on the ground, choking and coughing up dirt.

"Freak," Dudley spits out. "I'm telling Mummy and Daddy about this! Then you'll get punished!"

He and his two companions leave.

I get up and walk towards Harry with a confused expression, "Harry, what just happened?"

* * *

**A/N: I don't feel the need to do any bios because the characters introduced, basically Annie Glenn, because they are made up by me and not AU. Thanks and I hope that you enjoyed!**

**Also, if you feel that Ziva is not acting her age, please remember her neglectful father and past Mossad/ninja experience.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry about the delay... I was camping. And chapter 7 had me stumped so I was focusing a lot on that. Here's chapter 6.**

**Chapter 6 goes into Harry's thoughts about everything as well as him really being introduced to Kelly and her friends. Also, Ziva's background is explained more fully. For McAbby lovers, if you squint, you can detect a little McAbby. The end is, well, you'll just have to get there!**

**Last Chapter Summary: Harry is sat next to a girl named Annie Glenn. It delves into what Harry's life has been like, as well as Ziva's. We get to see Harry experience a small bout of accidental magic- yay! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to NCIS or Harry Potter. **

* * *

**Harry's POV**

I don't know why, but Kelly and her friends are standing up for me. They're yelling at Dudley and his two new friends, telling them that I'm not a freak. I don't get it.

The boy that Kelly calls DiNozzo starts talking, pulling me out of my thoughts, "Come on guys, they aren't worth it today. They'll get sick of that freak soon and will help us hurt him."

DiNozzo and the other boy, McCadden I think, begin to walk away. Dudley follows, pushing Kelly over in the way. All of a sudden, I'm seeing red. I get so angry that he pushed her over just for trying to help me. I stand up, but I'm not even sure why. I've never confronted Dudley, and I have no plans to start now.

But here I am, feeling madder than I ever have. I feel a weird tingling throughout my body. Before I can say something, I get this sensation like energy is flowing through my veins and pouring out of my body. I've had this a few times before, like when I turned Ms. Bokar's hair blue, but this is stronger than it has been ever before. The air around me speeds up and twirls like a tornado. It is forced away from my body and slams right into Dudley, DiNozzo, and McCadden, ignoring Kelly and her friends.

When the wind calms, I realize that my uncle is going to hurt me for what just happened. When he walked out of the classroom this morning, he told me "that if I hear of any freaky business, you would wish that you had never been born."

I curl up on the ground, shaking in anticipation of what I know will happen as soon as I get back to the house.

Dudley gets off of the ground, spitting dirt out of his mouth. "Freak," He hisses. "I'm telling Mummy and Daddy about this! Then you'll get punished!"

He leaves with his gang and Kelly turns to me, "Harry, what just happened?"

"I… I don't know," I reply, shaking.

"Are you all right?" She asks.

I don't what to say; no one has ever asked me that before. I nod uncertainly, even though inside I'm quaking in fear of what my relatives will do. I slowly stand up.

Kelly looks like she knows that I'm lying, but decides not to say anything. Instead, she smiles broadly. "Harry, these are my friends. This is Tim," she points to a slightly chubby boy. He smiles at me shyly.

"Hi, Harry."

Kelly continues and points at her friend with the two black pigtails, "That's Abby."

I expect the girl to wave like Tim did, but instead she rushes forward. I flinch back, unsure of what she's about to do. I hope that she doesn't hurt me for what happened earlier.

Instead, she pulls me into a firm embrace. I can barely breathe.

I gasp in pain as she puts pressure on a fresh bruise.

"Hi Harry," she chirps. "As Kelly said, I'm Abby. Sorry, did I hurt you?" She barely gives time for me to shake my head quickly before she plows on. "I feel so badly for you! Kelly told me what happened earlier in the summer! You look like such a sweet boy! Why would anyone do something so mean? You don't deserve it. What can I do to help? I just want to do something!"

I pull back quickly. I've never met anyone so hyper. I'm scared that she's saying this just to get back at me later. No one has ever stayed true to their word after they told me they wanted to help. I don't get why she's saying all of this. And why would she hug me? I've never been hugged before.

The last girl laughs, "Abby, calm down! You're scaring the poor boy." She turns to me, "My name's Ziva. I moved here from Israel when we were all going into 2nd grade, so I was seven. I get what it's like being the new kid."

All of these kids seem really nice, at least for now.

Kelly smiles at me, "Harry, would you like to join us? We were just about to go play hopscotch."

I'm surprised that she asks. I've never been asked to play before, so I widen my eyes, "Really? Why do you want a freak like me to play with you?"

Kelly shakes her head angrily, and I shrink back. "Harry, you're not a freak! My dad already told you that, and you have to listen to my dad. He know everything," she adds.

"It's true," Ziva smiles at me. "Gibbs does know everything. He would never lie to you. He tells you exactly how it is, so if he said that you're not a freak, then you're not a freak," she tells me matter-of-factly.

"Anyway, even if he hadn't said that, we know you're not a freak," Tim chimes in. "You chose the book Bud, Not Buddy. That book is awesome!"

Kelly, Ziva, and Abby nod in agreement.

Abby folds her arms and pouts, "Please play with us?"

I smile and agree. "This is the first time I've played with someone," I remark quietly.

Kelly manages to pick up what I said, "Really? Well, now you can play with us whenever. You don't have to ever worry about it again."

"What about when you get sick of me," I ask shyly.

"Harry, we're not going to get sick of you. Unless you become like DiNozzo, and I don't think that's going to happen," she reassures me. "Come on, let's play!"

A few minutes later, I hear a shrill whistle.

"It's okay, Harry," Kelly tells me. "It just means that it's time for lunch."

I see Abby skipping up to the school, and I smile, realizing that today is the first day since I ast saw Kelly that I've smiled. And before that, well, I don't remember a time before that when I smiled.

Abby interrupts my thoughts, "Tim, will you come with me to buy lunch?"

"Abby…" he sighs.

"Please?" She begs.

"Fine," I can tell that he'll do anything for Abby.

The two of them run ahead, and I hear Kelly sigh next to me, "Ziva, did you want to talk to Harry about something?"

Ziva nods and Kelly continues, "Do you want me to go ahead or stay?"

"Can you stay?" She asks. "You deserve to know the rest of it, you're my best friend."

I'm starting to get really confused with all of this, but I was told not to ask questions, so I stay quiet.

We get inside the building and sit at a table. There's a big bucket that we had put our lunches in earlier. We all get ours out. Mine is small, made of scraps that I managed to hide from my aunt and uncle.

Ziva turns to me, her face serious. "Harry, I'm a little like you. My parents didn't die when I was little, but my mom died when I was five. My dad, he's the director of a big agency, basically ignored my brother and me after that. He didn't do what was good for us. He didn't care about us. And my brother would get mad and then it got scary. אבא (_Dad_) would drink and then thrown the bottles. The glass would go everywhere even if we were close by. I had to get stitches a lot.

"When he was okay again, he would say sorry, but it would happen again and again. He made us train to kill people. I was only six when he had me learn how to kill people by throwing knives. If I didn't stick it in the target, the people who trained me would knick me with the knives. I told my dad, and he just told me to stop being weak.

"I barely talked to him and I was never good enough. I tried so hard…" Ziva trails off.

Kelly squeezes her shoulder and hugs her.

Ziva takes a deep breath and continues, "When I was seven, my dad decided that my brother and I weren't worth the bother. He sent us to live with my Great-Aunt Nettie in Maryland. That was the best thing that he ever did for us."

I must have looked confused because she explains, "My Aunt Nettie is pretty nice, but a little old. Once I moved here, I met Kelly. She's like a new sister. She reminds me of my sister, Tali. Tali died with my mother in a bombing. And I love Kelly's family! Gibbs is more of a dad than mine is. He's kind of strict, but really nice. Even Ari likes him, and he doesn't like many men because of my dad.

"And Kelly's mom lets me call her Mom. She won't replace my אמא _(Mother),_ but it's nice having her. I love the Gibbs'. They're my new family."

Ziva finishes just as Abby and Tim come up, "So, what'd we miss?" Abby asks.

"Nothing much," Kelly smiles. "Just explaining to Harry who DiNozzo is."

I open my lunch and finish it quickly. Kelly notices and frowns, "Harry, do you want more food? Are you hungry?"

I shake my head, but I really am. Aunt Petunia always told me not to take food from other people. I don't deserve it.

Kelly gives me a cookie anyway. "Thank you," I reply.

I eat it slowly and listen to Abby chatter about something. I like her; she's very happy all the time. I like Tim, too. He seems really nice, just a little quiet. I hope that tomorrow they still want to be friends with me. I guess I'll see how long it lasts. The only other time I thought I had friends, it only lasted two days. Then Dudley convinced him that I wasn't worth getting beat up.

Too soon, the bell rings and we have to go back to class. I really like my new friends.

* * *

At the end of school, I sneak a piece of extra paper home. I'm going to try keeping a journal. Kelly says that she does and it helps her figure things out. Maybe it can help me figure out why freaky things happen to me. After I finish my chores and before I need to make dinner, I begin to write on it.

_Journal,_

_I am nine years old. I got new friends today. There's Kelly. She's really nice and so is her dad. She gave me a cookie and we played together. It's fun spending time with her. Then there's Ziva. Ziva is also really nice. She said that her dad hurt her or just ignored her. Her mom and sister are dead, and she lives with her aunt. She told me that she could help me. I hope she can. Abby is really energetic and always excited, but she's really nice. She keeps telling me that I don't deserve this. The last friend is Tim. Tim is sweet. He says nice things. He'll do anything for Abby. I think he really likes her._

_Today something freaky happened again. Dudley pushed Kelly over and I got really mad and then there was a lot of wind and—_

Aunt Petunia calls me downstairs, "Boy, get down here!"

She sounds angry, so I go to her quickly, trying not to make her angrier.

I get downstairs and see Aunt Petunia with her arms folded across her chest, glaring at me.

Uncle Vernon is there, too.

"I thought," Uncle Vernon growls out. There's no start to the conversation, just right into what happened today. "I thought that I told you that freaky business would not be tolerated!"

"I'm sorry, Uncle Vernon. I didn't do anything on purpose, I promise!" I try to apologize, but I know that it won't do any good.

He shakes his head, "I don't care! This is all your fault. I don't even know we didn't just leave you in the middle of the street. You are too much trouble, freak!"

Uncle Vernon grabs a frying pan and once again, swings it at me. But this time, I'm faster. I duck and it flies through the air, eventually hitting a ceramic vase right behind me.

The vase breaks into millions of pieces with a sickening _crack_. The pieces fly through the air.

"Aaah!" I hear a shriek.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry guys, but I like to leave chapters not on a cliffhanger really, but just a place that's easy to pick up from. Next chapter: What just happened? **

**Hint: Why do I need to change POV's for the next chapter? Send in your responses if you want.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here's chapter 7. Sorry that it's so short. I had a really hard time writing this one. I hope that it turned out all right. It will probably be changing at some point when I have extra time... Anyway, in chapter 7, you get a quick summary of what's happened in the past few chapters and introduction to Gibbs' rules, and some intense dialogue.**

**Last chapter summary: Harry's POV on the bout of accidental magic. Also, the beginning of the consequences.**

_serenity8118: Sorry that I didn't acknowledge you last chapter, but I was in a hurry to post it... Thank you so much for the review and yes, those were my exact reasons. Hopefully, all has become clear. Please keep reviewing and letting me know if there is anything you think needs changing. I really appreciate it!_

_Loveandpower: Thank you for sending in your response. In this chapter, you can see if you were right!_

**I hope that you enjoy (actually, I hope you don't, you'll see why...)- or more appreciate this chapter. It's very important, so please read.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or NCIS**

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**Kelly POV**

When I get home, I'm surprised to see Daddy sitting at the table. He's rarely home this early, but it's great when he is. He looks tired and he hasn't even put his gun away yet.

"Daddy," I run into the kitchen and straight into his arms.

"Hey Kel," Daddy smiles at me as I pull out of the hug.

"Why are you home early?" I ask.

"Since we were up late last night and didn't get to come home, Uncle Mike let us off early today," he replies as Mommy sits down at the table and holds his hand. "How was you're first day of school?"

"It was okay, but really strange. Mrs. Wiles is a really good teacher. Oh, and do you remember our new neighbors?" I ask.

Daddy's smile quickly turns into a frown as he thinks about them, "Yeah, I do."

"The two boys are in my class as well. There's Dudley and the other boy, Harry. Harry looked so scared. At recess, Ziva, Abby, Tim and I were outside and were going to ask Harry to play with us when we saw Dudley, DiNozzo, and McCadden being mean to him.

"All of us tried to stick up for him and told them that Harry wasn't a freak, but they wouldn't listen. We kept telling them to just leave them alone, and finally they started to walk away and said that we would get bored of Harry soon anyway.

"Dudley pushed me onto the ground and then Harry got really mad. All of a sudden, there was a big gust of wind and Dudley, DiNozzo, and McCadden were on the ground. It was really weird. None of us know what it is. And Dudley told Harry that he was going to tell his parents about the wind. I don't get it." I finish.

Daddy smiles, "I'm sure that it was just a strong gust of wind. A coincidence."

I put my hands on my hips and mock glare at him, "Daddy, you know that your rule number 39 says that there are no such things as coincidences!"

He grins, "I've taught you well, Kel. I'm not sure what it is, but remember that sometimes, the rules are wrong!"

Mommy opens her mouth in fake surprise, "Leroy Jethro Gibbs! Did I just hear you say that you can be wrong sometimes? I never thought I'd see the day!"

Daddy looks at her thoughtfully, "I think that I'll have to make that rule number 51; Sometimes you're wrong."

We all laugh and I jump up to go take an apple from the refrigerator. As I open the fridge, I hear some yelling coming from next door in the Dursley's house.

I let the refrigerator door swing closed and I run outside, my apple completely forgotten; Mommy and Daddy are close behind.

The yelling stops and we hear a loud crack. It sounds as if two things had collided and one broke into hundreds of pieces. We pause in our tracks, listening for more.

Only a second later, a loud scream resonates from the Dursley's house.

I'm not even thinking anymore as I sprint across my yard towards their house.

By the time we reach the front door, the scream has died down to a loud whimper. Daddy grabs his gun and holds it out in front of him, gesturing for Mommy and me to stay behind him. As he does, Mommy reaches forward and knocks on the door firmly.

The bangs stop abruptly and we hear feet frantically running towards the door.

"Who is it?" Petunia Dursley asks quickly.

"The Gibbs'," Mommy replies. "Kelly just wanted to invite the boys over to play for a little while."

"Now is not a good time!" The shrill voice calls back.

From inside we hear a strangled sob and then a gruff, "Shut up, freak!"

"Is everything alright in there?" Daddy calls through the door, his gun ready just in case.

There's no reply except for another loud crash and a scream.

My parents push me in the direction of our house, making it clear that they don't want me involved.

Ignoring them, I turn back around and open the door to the Dursley's, before anyone can stop me. I know that Mommy and Daddy just want to protect me and don't want me hurt, but I can't just let Harry be hurt when I could do something. I dart inside, but stop in my tracks when I see a frail form lying on the floor not moving, covered in blood.

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**A/N: Well, that was a hard chapter to write. Please don't flame me for this. I needed to have this to continue with the story. The next chapter will also be very sad and dark, but it will start looking up (and then down, and then up again, but that's in the far future...). In the next chapter, I'll be switching to Shannon's POV for at least part of it.**

**I'll be gone for at least a week, probably two, so I'll put up chapter 8 tonight. I hope that you enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I am so sorry that I didn't post this when I said I would! You know how trips can be. I was doing some last minute stuff and forgot. So, sorry! **

**Last Chapter Summary: The Gibbs family walks into the Dursley's house and sees a bloody and abused Harry.**

**WARNING: This chapter is very sad and also has some cursing in it. **

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Shannon POV

I see Kelly let out a strangled sob. She runs towards the limp form on the floor. I can practically hear the wheels turning in her head before finally registering that the heap on the floor is her new friend, Harry.

She doesn't acknowledge Jethro and me running in behind her. The floor is littered with pieces of a broken vase. Vernon Dursley is standing near Harry holding his belt. It takes me a minute to realize that the color of his belt is not normally maroon; the belt is covered in Harry's blood.

I turn to Jethro and can tell that he has come to the same conclusion as me. Jethro grabs the gun from his waistband and we both rush forward. Jethro runs towards Vernon Dursley, pointing his gun at him.

Vernon Dursley begins to protest, "You can't do this to me! I've done nothing wrong! Get that gun away from-."

Jethro interrupts the man and motions for him and Petunia and stand against the wall, "Shut up! How could you do this to Harry? Doing this to anyone is abhorred and sickens me, but to do this to a child, your nephew? You filthy bastard!"

Vernon opens his mouth to speak again, but Jethro cuts him off with a glare. "I don't give a damn what your reasons are! There is no excuse for beating a child!"

The walrus of a man manages to sneak in a few words, "That boy is a freak, a dirty freak! He will do you no good! And his parents were freaks just like him! They got themselves blown up and we got stuck with him because of their stupidity. That boy deserves everything that he-."

Jethron moves forward, his gun pointed at Vernon Dursley. He is out of his yelling stage now. He has turned it into cold fury, "There is no reason to beat a child. You say that his parents got blown up. I am a Marine. Do you know how many people I saw get shot, or get blown up? Did they ask for it? No, they did not.

And even if they had, how can you blame Harry for something that his parents did? He is not them! You should feel lucky that he didn't die either." Jethro stares at the Dursleys, daring them to make a sound.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dudley whimpering in the corner, looking frightened. I turn away from him and turn back towards Jethro.

I know that my husband won't pull the trigger unless that bastard provokes him beyond belief. The Dursleys are getting him more riled up than I've seen from him in a while, but Jethro is also having more restraint. I know that he doesn't want Kelly, or Harry either, to see more violence.

I pull my phone from my pocket and dial 911 quickly. A woman picks up on the other end, "Yes, what's your emergency?"

"Hello," I reply shakily. "There is a child here who's been abused."

"What's the address?" The voice asks back.

I give it to her and proceed to tell her about Harry's condition, "The boy's name is Harry Potter. His uncle has abused him. We're neighbors of theirs. Right now, his breathing is still there but slightly labored. He's covered in glass shards and his back is cut up from being whipped repeatedly. The whipping, it seems, pushed the glass pieces in further."

"Thank you," she replies. "We're sending a team out to the house. See if you can keep pressure on some of the places where it is bleeding the heaviest, but make sure not to press the glass in at all. Keep the boy awake. As you're doing this, please tell me anything else you know about what happened."

I tell Kelly this quickly and she takes up the job of keeping Harry awake. I grab the nearest cloth, which happens to be a few napkins, and use the water that is on the ground from the broken vase. I dab a napkin in the water, ignoring the yells from Petunia Dursley, telling me to keep my hands off her expensive napkins. I carefully clean away the blood, keeping a sharp eye out for shards of glass. Kelly is sitting next to me, murmuring to Harry. I can see him smiling weakly and I smile sadly. This boy is such a gem, but he's been through so much terror and horror in his life. Hopefully, Kelly will help him heal.

I turn my attention back to the phone, "His name is Harry Potter and he and his family just moved here from England this past summer. He lives with his uncle and aunt. His parents are dead, according to Harry's aunt and uncle they were blown up. That's all I know about their death. My husband, daughter, and I live next door. My daughter is friendly with Harry. We heard a loud crash and screams about three minutes ago.

"We ran over and tried to get Petunia Dursley, the aunt of Harry, to open the door, but she wouldn't. She tried to get us to leave but we wouldn't because we kept hearing screams and cries. She eventually started ignoring us and we just ran inside. My husband works for NCIS, so he has some experience with people not cooperating.

"Harry was lying on the floor, covered in his own blood. There are pieces of glass all over the floor and him as well as Vernon Dursley's bloody belt. My husband had his gun with him and is making sure that they don't leave." I lower my voice slightly as I continue, "He won't shoot them, but it's getting harder every second. What they did is horrible!"

"It is," the woman sympathizes. "The ambulance will be there soon. Keep him as stable as possible."

"Thank you," I reply, trying to put my appreciation into my words.

The line goes dead and I continue trying to clean Harry as best as I can. I put pressure on the blood and avoid the glass shards as best as I can. The napkins are stained with the blood. In the back of my mind, I hear Petunia Dursley yelling at me, telling me how expensive they are and that I should be ashamed of myself.

I ignore her and just concentrate on the trouble at hand. As I work, I watch Kelly talking to Harry. She's holding his hand and trying to keep him awake. I can see that she is making a little progress; a small smile graces Harry's face for a brief moment.

Seeing Kelly with Harry, I realize that the world isn't fair. Sometimes it just doesn't make any sense. These kids don't deserve to be subjected to this brutality, especially at this age. Jethro and I aren't parents who smother Kelly and protect her from the world. We both think that knowing what is happening in the world, seeing the brutality, and then finding what you can do to help is part of what life is all about.

Jethro found it through the Marines and now helping solve crimes at NCIS. I help by teaching kids the building blocks of life. At some point, Kelly and Harry will both see how harsh life can be and find their own ways to fix the wrong in this world, but right now is too soon and too close to home. They deserve to keep their innocence as long as they can because the world can be a cruel, cruel world.

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**A/N: That's Chapter 8! Again, sorry about this chapter being late. Hopefully Chapter 9 will make up for it. It's pretty long. I'll have it up in around 3 days. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well, chapter 9 is a little bit scattered. It deals more with the past than the present, but I hope that you enjoy all the same. Please remember a couple of things. One; that at age 7, Ziva is not the Mossad-assassin-ninja chick that we all know and love. Two; at age four, 'stupid' is probably the worst curse that you can say. **

**Last Chapter Summary: Harry is very hurt and Shannon calls the ambulance.**

_alix33- Thank you so much for all of the wonderful help that you've given me for each chapter. I do like to personally respond to each review, but I don't have much time. I do see them and really appreciate it. I will fix everything using your tips when I am finished. So I will not tell you thank you each time, but please know that I an very thankful that you take the time to let me know all of this._**  
**

**Be on the lookout for some allusions! There are three of them. I'll give you a hint; there is one in each flashback and then one other. Let me know if you find them!**

* * *

**Harry POV**

Pain. I don't know anything except pain. My whole body feels as if it's on fire. I can hear a few whimpers coming from somewhere near me. I soon realize that I am the one making those sounds.

I lie on the ground not moving, trying to avoid more pain. The pain is so fierce that I can't see anything; everything is black.

All of a sudden, I see a dull light coming towards me and getting brighter. I try to shield my eyes from the blinding light, but my body hurts too much to move. To my surprise, the light doesn't hurt my eyes. Instead, it washes over and surrounds me. The warmth envelops my body and soothes some of the pain.

Emerging from the endless light is a figure walking towards me. It is a woman with vibrant red hair and piercing green eyes. She smiles warmly at me.

I think that I recognize her, but I can't remember who she is. Before I can contemplate it any further, my mouth out the answer, "Mum?"

She smiles broadly and nods, "Oh, Harry!" She seems to want to say more, but her voice catches. Tears unashamedly run down her cheeks. She opens her arms and I hug her tightly, relishing in the feeling of seeing my mum living.

My mum pulls back and holds me at arms length, looking me over, "You've been so brave, Harry! I am so proud of everything that you've done! So is your father. A few minutes ago, someone told Daddy and me that one of us could meet you and talk to you in your dream. I'm sorry, dear, but I won't be there when you wake up. I wish more than anything that I could be. Anyway, Daddy and I decided that I would be the one to talk to you.

"We both love you so much Harry. I know that you've been called so many things by Petunia and Vernon, but you aren't any of them. You've done nothing to deserve everything you've been through. Never think that it's your fault that Vernon's hurting you. He's the one that's doing the bad thing. You're not a freak. You're a growing boy with an imagination and a boy who's incredibly smart. Don't believe it, Harry. And Harry, I know that Vernon and Petunia call you a coward sometimes, but you're not.

"If anything, you're the bravest boy I've ever seen. You've been able to get through all of this and you'll get through more. Not everyone could do what you've done, so Harry, be proud of it. You're an amazing boy. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Always remember that Daddy and I love you more that anything."

"Mum," I ask timidly, "what's going on? Why am I dreaming of you?"

She gets an angry look in her eyes, and despite what she just told me, I shrink back. She sees this and just pulls me closer. I struggle for a moment, but then I melt into her arms.

Mum looks at me and smiles sadly, "Harry, I don't have much time to tell you all of this, so listen carefully. In our will, Daddy and I said that you should never live with the Dursleys, but someone destroyed our will before it was read. I'm so sorry that you had to go through everything that you did!

"I knew Petunia hated me, but I never imagined that she would take it this far," Mum mutters under her breath. I manage to hear her, but I don't say anything.

She starts to talk to me again, but stops and seems as if she's listening to something. Turning back to me, Mum's voice holds more urgency, "Listen to me. You were lied to. Daddy and I didn't die in a car accident. We were murdered. You know what that means, right?"

I nod quickly and she continues, "I don't have time to tell you everything, but just know that the Dursleys will never hurt you again. Always remember that you have friends. Trust your instincts; you'll know whether you can trust them or not. Don't doubt what you feel. Daddy and I did, and we're dead because of it. I have to go, but Daddy and I love you so much and we are more proud of you than you could ever know. Goodbye, Harry!"

Mum fades back into the distance. I try to reach for her, but can't because the pain that was gone now shoots back into my body. I don't cry out, but instead concentrate on a soothing voice. It takes me a minute for me to understand what it's saying. Finally, I can make it out.

"Come on Harry," the voice sounds worried. "You can get through this, and your aunt and uncle aren't going to get away with it! Stay awake, Harry, you can do it!"

I realize that the voice belongs to Kelly Gibbs, my new friends. I think about what my mum just told me; trust your instincts about your friends. I think that I can trust Kelly, so I latch onto her voice.

"Harry, don't fall asleep! My mom said that it's bad for you right now. And you know why you shouldn't?" I can tell she doesn't expect me to respond. "It's because Tim needs you. He's around girls all the time, with his two sisters and us. He needs you to balance it out. Plus, I know that Ziva, Abby, and Tim all like you. I do, too. If they don't, then they don't matter. Just think about how much fun we can have in the tree house!" She exclaims.

I smile a little and there's a brief pause before she continues, "Harry, you're going to be one of my very best friends! Tim was my first best friend, and now he's like my brother.

"I've known him since we were born because my mom taught his older sister, Kate. When Mrs. Todd-McGee brought Kate in partway through the year, she and my mom started talking about their pregnancies. I was born three months before Tim, and since then he's been my best friend. He's my brother and a second kid to my parents, especially because his parents don't pay attention to him much. We talk about everything together. He's really smart."

All of a sudden, Kelly stops talking. I hear footsteps approach and then I see Mrs. Gibbs with one of Aunt Petunia's fancy napkins. It's wet and she starts to dab at all of my cuts. She's talking on the phone quietly. I wince in pain as the tries to clean me up.

Kelly notices and takes it upon herself to keep me distracted, "We met Abby next. We were all four years old," she giggles slightly.

I smile softly as I wait for her to tell the story. She begins and tries to keep me from thinking too much about the stinging pain, "We always drove Tim to preschool because Mommy and I always passed his house on the way. We were early every day since Mommy worked there, but we never minded. We got to always choose the best toys. On our first day of the 4s, Mommy had gotten us there really early so she could make sure her classroom was all set up. Our new teacher was Mr. Binx. Tim and I spent a lot of time at the school, so we knew him already.

Anyway, after Mommy had dropped us off and said goodbye, Tim and I looked through all the crayon boxes to see which was the best and had the sharpest crayons. Once we found it, we sat down next to each other and Mr. Binx gave us some paper to draw on until the other kids came in. While we were deciding what to draw, the door swung open.

_Flashback_

**_Kelly POV_**

_"I want to draw a little doggy," I grin and chose a brown crayon. "What are you going to draw, Tim?"_

_Tim shrugs, "Maybe a cat. What's the dog going to look like?"_

_I haven't thought about that before, but suddenly I remember the movie we had seen over the summer. "Tim!" I exclaim. "I'll draw a… what's it called? Oh, right, a Dalmatian! Remember the movie we saw, 101 Dalmatians? You can draw the mean lady and we can put the pictures together. That way we can be like my Daddy; we have a team!" I beam._

_He smiles, "I like that. What color should her hair be?"_

_Before I can even think about it, the door opens and an unusual looking girl walks into the room._

_She has pitch-black hair out up into two pigtails with pink bows. She's wearing a white shirt, a black skirt, and a pink tutu._

_A woman, who I assume is her mom, walks in behind her with an amused expression on her face._

_Mr. Binx welcomes them into the classroom, "Welcome! My name is Mr. Binx. What's your name?"_

_The girl turns to her mom and makes a bunch of hand movements before replying, "I'm Abby Sciuto and this is my mom, Eliza Scuito. She's deaf."_

_Mr. Binx smiles, "Good morning, Abby! I know some sign language myself, so why don't you go and introduce yourself to the other kids while I talk with your mom?"_

_Abby grins, "Okay!" She skips over to us and takes a seat. "I'm Abby. What are your names?" She asks._

_"Kelly," I reply._

_Tim answers shyly, "My name's Tim."_

_Abby laughs, "I have a turtle named Tim. He always wins races against my brother's turtle. Do you have any brothers or sisters? I do, his name is Luca and he's 3. Oh, and do you like my tutu? I found it yesterday."_

_Tim seems a bit stunned by her energy, but he tries to answer anyway, "I have two sisters, Kate and Sarah. Kate's really old; she's 7. Sarah's 2 years old. She's cute, but cries a lot. And I like your tutu. It's pretty. Sarah would really like it."_

_I'm surprised that Tim said so much to Abby. He's usually shy and quiet. He only really talks with people he knows well, like my parents and me. Tim must like her to talk so much._

_Abby seems thrilled that he likes the tutu, "That's so nice of you Timmy. Do you mind if I call you that?" Barely waiting for Tim to tell her it's okay, she barrels on, "My daddy always says that I should only be friends with nice people. You both seem nice."_

_She turns to me, "I love your hair!"_

_I have bright red hair just like Mommy, and Daddy says that his mommy had red hair, too. When we were babies, apparently Tim liked to play with it and pull on it a lot."_

_I laugh a little, "Anyway, thanks! I really like your pigtails."_

_Before Abby can reply, Mrs. Sciuto comes over and kisses Abby on the cheek. They have a quick conversation in sign language and then Mrs. Sciuto leaves._

_"What's sign language for," Tim asks. I can tell that he's wanted to ask her ever since Mr. Binx mentioned it._

_"It's how my mommy and I talk because she's deaf," Abby answers._

_"What does deaf mean?" Tim bounces back. He's always curious._

_"It means that she can't hear," Abby replies matter-of-factly._

_"Is that because she's stupid?" A new voice asks. None of us had noticed when another kid walked into the classroom._

_I gasp, "Tony, that's a bad word! Say you're sorry!"_

_Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo shakes his head, "I won't!"_

_Beside me, Tim crosses his arms, "If you're not going to be nice, then you can't sit with us."_

_Tony gets surprised because Tony doesn't usually stand up to him. I'm usually the one that does it. "Well," he splutters. "I don't want to!"_

_I turn to Abby, "Sorry about Tony. He's always mean to us. He takes blocks and other toys from Tim and me, and draws on our papers. I don't like him."_

_Abby shakes her head, "We don't need to be friends with him. We're good just the three of us."_

_End Flashback_

**Harry POV**

"And there's the end of the story," Kelly finishes. I was so engrossed by her story that I didn't notice Mrs. Gibbs, but now I feel that sharp stings again. I wince sharply and Kelly keeps talking.

"That's how Abby, Tim, and I became friends. Abby's someone that I can always go to when I'm upset. She loves hugging people. Abby's like a twin sister to me; we know each other really well. Abby spends a lot of time at my house. A lot of the time, she, Ziva and I finish each other's sentences. When we were little, my mommy would call us the 3 Musketeers. How we met Ziva is a funny story, too."

_Flashback_

**_Ziva POV_**

_דודה (Aunt) Nettie decides that Ari and I need to get outside, even if it is 90 degrees and sticky. She brings us to a park that is a 5-minute walk from her house. I immediately run over to the swings, while Ari finds something else to play on. I love the swings because they can make you feel like you're flying._

_I sit on an empty swing and push my legs against the ground. As I pump them back and forth, the swing makes its way higher and higher. The small breeze plays with my hair and it floats in front of my face. With one hand, I push the flyaway pieces from behind my ear and with the other, I coax the swing to go even faster._

_I spot Ari on the other side of the park, swinging on some metal bars. Deciding to join him, I make one last big movement and jump off as I am at the swing's highest point._

_More than ever, I feel as if I am floating. I glide down to the ground and land with a soft thud. I run towards my brother but I'm not paying close enough attention because I run into a girl around my age._

_We hit the ground and sit up slowly. Standing near the girl I ran into is a boy and another girl. My face flushes from embarrassment. I stand up and brush off my pants before muttering a quiet, "Sorry."_

_She shakes her head and stands up. Smiling brightly, the girl leans forward and gives me a strong hug. Only when I start coughing does she let go. "It's okay!" The girl tells me. She turns her head to the side, "What's your name? I'm Abby."_

_Abby is a little taller that me and has straight black hair. It's pulled into a ponytail behind her head. Before I can study her anymore, I notice that she and her two friends are expecting an answer. "Ziva. My name is Ziva," I reply quickly._

_Abby nudges the boy to her right and he waves shyly at me. She takes it upon herself to introduce her two friend, "This is Timmy, but you can just call him Tim. And this is Kelly."_

_Kelly smiles, "Hi, Ziva. Are you new to the neighborhood? I've never seen you around."_

_I nod, "My brother and I moved in with my aunt last week."_

_"Where are you from?" Kelly wonders. She obviously heard my accent._

_"Israel. How old are you?" I ask cautiously. I want to see if I was right and they are around my age._

_"7," Kelly answers. "We'll be in 2nd grade this year."_

_"Me, too!" I reply excitedly. Maybe I'll have some friends even before school starts. We talk for a few minutes before I remember that Ari's here. "Do you have any siblings? I have a brother and maybe he could meet people, too. He's 10."_

_Tim nods, "I have an older sister named Kate. She's 10."_

_"Let me go get my brother and introduce him to you, "I say._

_"Where is he?" Abby asks._

_"Over there," I point to him, "on the metal bar things."_

_They look confused for a second before recognition crosses their faces, "Oh, you mean the monkey bars!"_

_"Monkey bars? You play on things made out of monkeys? That's awful!"_

_Kelly laughs, "No, they're just called that because people swing on the metal bars like monkeys swing on trees."_

_"Oh," I frown and then blush. "Sometimes English confuses me."_

_End Flashback_

**Harry POV**

Kelly giggles, "Ziva messes up English expressions a lot. It's really funny.

"The next day, we introduced Ari and Kate. They became best friends and so did Abby, Tim, Ziva, and I. Daddy always says that the four of us are going to work for NCIS with him when we grow up because we work together well. Remember how I was telling you that Tim used to pull my hair?"

I nod and smile weakly.

"Well, I would get angry and accidently push him over. Mommy has a videotape of it. We were watching it with Daddy once and he told us that the video showed that we'd be perfect at NCIS because Tim can do the pulling and finding answers and I can do the fighting!"

She's about to keep talking when we hear sirens, "Okay, Harry. You're going to the hospital now. I'll visit you a lot and you're going to get better."

I feel myself get lifted up and onto a stretcher. I cry out and then whimper softly. Everything hurts so much.

I can tell that now, I'm in an ambulance. Within a few minutes, I am taken out and put onto a bed. A few moments later, after the doctors and nurses have hooked me up to the IVs, I can't take it anymore. I close my eyes and drift off into darkness.

* * *

**Kelly POV**

"Harry, it's time to come out of the coma! You've been in it for one month. I miss you, Harry. And the doctors said that if you don't wake up in the next 12 hours, then there's nothing else they can do for you. Harry, you have to wake up, or this will be the last time that we ever see you," I begin to cry.

I lean into Abby's arms and sob. Ziva kisses her Star of David necklace and mutters some prayers in Hebrew. Ziva, who rarely hugs people, wraps her arms around us. Tim joins and we stand there, the four of us, hugging and crying.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry to end on that sad note! It just seemed like the perfect place to stop. **

**Everything that you need to know about Sarah Todd-McGee and Luca and Eliza Sciuto is said within the chapter so I won't be giving them bios. **

**Remember to look for the allusions. Have a good end of the summer!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry about how late this is, I will probably be updating more slowly now. I have ideas for the next few chapters, but I have to just write everything down. I hope that you enjoy this chapter! It includes a little more Harry Potter...**

**Last Chapter Summary: Harry has a talk with Lily, Kelly recalls how she met Abby and Ziva, Harry is taken to the hospital, it is revealed that Harry may not survive**

**WARNING: I do not know the legal system well, so please bear with me.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who favorited, followed, and definitely reviewed! I really appreciate all of it and get so excited when I check my email...**

**Also, not one person even guessed at the allusions from the past chapter. I will be posting them on the next chapter, but I would appreciate if people would try to guess. It's all in good fun!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, Harry Potter, Bud, Not Buddy or The Washington Post**

* * *

Friday, September 15

On a lazy Friday in London, a young man with premature grey hairs enters the office of the United Kingdom Public Libraries, also known as the UKPL, and takes a seat at his desk. It is very sparse, yet organized, and has one picture of him a few years younger and grey-hairless, two other young men, one young woman, and a happy baby.

He smiles sadly as he looks at it and then gets out some papers. He grabs a pen and starts to fill out a document.

He is about halfway done when an older woman steps out of an office. She comes over to him, "The boss would like you in her office."

"Thanks, Julia," he replies. He gets up and stops to kiss her cheek. Walking down the hallway, he knocks on the door.

"Mrs. Hemmit? Julia said that you wanted to see me."

"Yes, come in!" A voice responds sharply.

He enters the office and Mrs. Hemmit gestures to a chair. He sinks into the soft leather and looks expectantly at her, "What can I do for you?"

She smiles softly, "My dear, as you know, I have not been cleared to travel after my last bout with illness. I was signed up for the International Public Library Conference. I cannot go since it is in Washington, D.C. I was wondering if you could go for me. It is a two-week event. The UKPL would send you on their budget. You would not have to pay for a thing."

She knows that the man has little money to spare and rarely uses what little he has.

"One other thing. I know that your birthday is coming up. As an early present, I am telling you to take the week after off. It will also be paid for by the UKPL. You wouldn't have to-."

The man cuts her off, "Thank you Mrs. Hemmit, but I'm fine. I don't need a vacation."

She silences him with a glare, "Remus, You have not taken one vacation or sick day since you started here eight years ago. This is not negotiable. Take the leave."

"Really, I don't need a vacation. I won't do anything with the time," Remus protests.

"Visit the sights in D.C. You won't have a chance during the conference. Just walk around and relax," Mrs. Hemmit persists. "If you don't take it, then I will just increase the time you must be off of work and I will have Julia make sure that you do not work."

"Fine, I'll take leave after the conference," he relents.

"Good, Remus, I know that you'll enjoy D.C."

She picks up the phone and dials a number which Remus can see leads right down to the Human Resources department, "Hello? Ms. Folis? I need a round trip ticket to Washington, D.C. for Remus. He will be leaving on Sunday and will not return for three weeks… Yes, it is a work related project… Just send them to him when you are done and have accounting send a budget and credit card… Thank you, Ms. Folis."

She hangs up the phone and turns to Remus, "There you are, all done. You'll leave Sunday and the conference starts Monday. Have a good trip!"

Remus knows that this is his cue to leave, so he smiles and thanks her again before closing the door behind him.

Sunday, September 17

Remus arrives at Heathrow airport for the first time in years. He picks up his suitcase and quickly makes his way through security. He arrives at his gate and sits down, reading a book.

The plane ride is uneventful, and Remus tries to catch up on some well-needed rest. After he lands in D.C., he spots a driver holding a sign with the UKPL insignia on it. Pulling his suitcase after him, he greets the man and gets into the taxi.

He arrives at the Watergate Hotel, where he will be staying for the next three weeks. The hotel is huge and Remus knows that if he were traveling on his own money, he could never afford to stay here.

He settles in quickly before succumbing to his jet lag.

* * *

Saturday, October 6

Remus wakes up on Saturday the 6th and walks down the street to the local café. He smiles as he walks along the street; the fall colors are beautiful and the city is awake.

The weather is amazing right now. The crisp, cool air refreshes him and wakes him up for his first day out of the conference. The conference was interesting, but it will be nice to walk outside, see the sights and not spend all day cramped up in a one-room conference center.

Not knowing quite what to do with himself, Remus settles with reading the paper while drinking a cup of coffee. The Washington Post front page is filled with politics, which sickens him. He thinks that there are few truly good politicians, and that it is just a game for power and money rather than what it's supposed to be- a spokesperson for the public.

He skips ahead to Metro, a more local and less political section. He reads an article or two before flipping the page. His eyes are immediately drawn to an article on the right of the page.

_AUNT AND UNCLE CONVICTED OF ABUSING THEIR NINE-YEAR-OLD NEPHEW_

_NEPHEW IN CRITICAL CONDITION_

_BY: Jane Elmer_

_ADELPHI, MD- The aunt and uncle of 9-year-old Harry Potter, all British citizens, were found guilty of abuse yesterday by the local court. The uncle, Vernon Dursley will be spending 20 years in prison, while his wife Petunia Dursley, will be serving 15 years. Both will finish their sentence in England._

His mouth opens and the cup clatters onto the floor. He doesn't even register the crowd of people staring and trying to clean up the mess. He has to find his Pup.

* * *

**One day earlier**

**Gibbs POV**

"I hereby call this court to order!" The judge bangs his gavel.

Today is the first day of the court case against Vernon and Petunia Dursley. Shan, Kelly and I were called to testify. We have to show up today and tomorrow unless otherwise notified.

I think about work. I hate missing it, but I know that this is more important. I soon realize that the trial has started and Petunia Dursley is up on the stand. She's already sworn on the Bible and now her defense attorney is up and about to start asking her questions.

"Who is Harry Potter to you?" She asks.

"He is my nephew, from my sister, Lily Potter," Petunia replies.

"And why is he living with you?"

"His parents died in a car crash."

"So you took him in out of the kindness in your hearts?"

Here Petunia hesitates and I've done enough interrogations to know that she's hiding something, but she answers in the affirmative anyway, "Yes. We took him in because he's family, and we didn't want him to go to the orphanage."

Kelly sits in her seat quietly, but I can tell that she's having a hard time not blurting out everything that happened. Shannon and I are restraining ourselves too, but we all know that we'll have our chance.

The defense attorney nods, "As a child, how does Harry Potter behave?"

"He never listened to us, he was always disobedient! After everything that we do for him, he won't do anything in return," Petunia smirks, this is her only real defense, if you can even call it that.

"So you would consider any punishment given just?"

Petunia nods emphatically, "Of course. We only gave him what he deserved."

I am about to burst when the defense attorney nods and the other attorney walks up to her.

"How did you punish Mr. Potter?"

Petunia smirks, "Justly."

The attorney doesn't look phased, "What punishment did you use?"

"We would smack him into line sometimes, but nothing bad."

The attorney, a Ms. M. Allison Hart, walks back to her briefcase and pulls some pictures from it. She slams them down onto the stand, "Do you recall the color of this belt when you bought it?"

"Objection!" The defense attorney calls out. "How is this relevant?"

The judge looks at Ms. Hart and she gives him a cold stare, "Give me one or two more questions and if my direction is unclear, then you can cut me off."

The judge nods at her to proceed.

She repeats the question and Petunia answers shakily, "A light brown."

"So why is it a dark maroon here? What happened to it?"

"Blood. Blood happened to it. The belt was chaffing him and… and… That's it, I swear," She cries despairingly.

"Really?" Ms. Hart retorts. "Because I have good, hard evidence that says here that the blood on that belt matches Mr. Potter's. And I also know that the blood on the belt, some at least, is new. Your husband had no scrapes or cuts on him. Would you like to rethink your story?"

Before Petunia can respond, the defense attorney stands up, "Your Honor, I'd like to take a quick break. I need to discuss something with you and my clients immediately."

The judge shakes his head, "Ms. Hart must finish up her questioning first."

The lady in question smiles, "No, you may take the break now. Let Mrs. Dursley… think about what I have just shown her. I know that I usually am picky about technicalities, but I think I can make an exception."

The judge nods, "Fine. We will have a fifteen-minute break. Meet back here then and we will proceed with the testimonies."

Kelly, Shannon and I walk outside and grab Kelly lemonade to sip for a few moments before we have to head back inside. We don't mention the case or what's happening; I can tell that Kelly and Shannon are both deeply troubled by it.

The few minutes fly by and we take our seats once again. The judge walks up to his stand and clears his throat, "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley have pleaded guilty. Mr. Dursley will be getting 20 years in prison and Mrs. Dursley will have 15 years. Their son will be given to his Aunt Marge and we will be deciding on Mr. Potter's future when he is medically stable.

"If you were called upon to testify, you may leave. If anything comes up regarding this case, please contact one of us immediately. You are dismissed."

Even though it's only been four hours since we left our house this morning, we are all exhausted. We drive home and take a nap, just the three of us. Seeing Harry like this and hearing his aunt and uncle's testimony has sapped out energy. We fall asleep and the next thing we know, it's 9 at night. We get up and Kelly goes to visit Harry with Abby, Ziva, and Tim.

Since Harry's so young and nothing can change his condition except him, the doctors make an exception about the visiting hours after I talk with them for a while. Kelly and her friends are allowed in whenever they want, as long as Shannon, Nettie David, or I are there. I wait outside the room and just watch them.

I see Kelly in Harry's room, holding his hand. She talks to him quietly, and I can't hear what she's saying. All of a sudden, she stiffens and then breaks down.

I see my baby fighting back tears as she holds his hand, "Harry, it's time to come out of the coma! You've been in it for one month. I miss you, Harry. And the doctors said that if you don't wake up in the next 12 hours, then there's nothing else they can do for you. Harry, you have to wake up, or this will be the last time that we ever see you."

She sobs into her hands and I want to run in and comfort her but before I can get to her, she falls back into Abby. Over in the corner, Ziva kisses her Star of David necklace and mutters some prayers in Hebrew. Ziva, who rarely hugs people, wraps her arms around the two of them. Tim joins and they stand there as a unit. Kelly's my baby, but she has her friends to lean on now. Whatever happens to Harry, I know that she'll be okay because she has them.

* * *

Exactly 7 minutes before 9, when the doctors were going to let nature run its course on 9-year-old Harry Potter, his eyes opened and his parched mouth asked for water.

* * *

**Kelly POV**

I've been by his bedside for the past couple of hours, hoping that he would somehow wake. Daddy's been sleeping in the chair next to the bed. He and I didn't get much sleep after we visited the hospital last night, but he knows how much this means to me, so he came. Mommy had to go back to work today after her boss heard that she no longer had to testify.

I'm sitting by Harry's bed and reading Bud, Not Buddy to him. I pause for a deep breath when suddenly, I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. I look down at Harry and his eyelids are fluttering rapidly.

I bolt out of the chair and wake Daddy.

As soon as I shake him, Daddy's eyes snap open and he looks at me, "What's happening, sweetie? What's wrong?"

I point to Harry, "Daddy, his eyelids are moving! I think that he's waking up!"

Daddy gets up quickly, "Kel, I need you to stay here with Harry. Keep talking to him. I'm going to get a doctor."

"Harry, how are you feeling?" I ask quietly.

His voice comes out raspy, "Water please."

I nod, "The doctors are coming. They can get you water."

As I say that, Harry's doctor walks in. His name is Dr. Fulkin. Uncle Ducky comes in behind him. Uncle Ducky's been looking at Harry too, to see if he can help out at all.

The two of them rush over to his bedside. "He asked for water," I tell them.

They nod and start working on the IVs and other machines. Soon they send Daddy and me out of the room. Since we can't be with Harry, Daddy suggests that we go eat breakfast. Uncle Ducky will call when we can come back.

We sit down at a café about a block from the hospital and order two bagels, a coffee for Daddy, and chocolate milk for me. We sit quietly and eat until Daddy's phone rings. I hope that it isn't his boss asking him to come in, but I'll have to see.

Daddy picks up the phone, "Gibbs."

* * *

**Remus POV**

I run out of the café as if my legs are on fire. People stare as I pass, but I just ignore them. I reach a park and grab my cell phone before dialing the number for information.

"Give me the line for the Washington Post please," I pant out.

"One moment, sir," the voice replies.

I hear a ring tone and then another voice, "Yes?"

"Hello, may I speak with the writer Jane Elmer please? It is important," I stress.

"One moment." I hear buzzing on the other end and then a woman picks up.

"Jane Elmer. What can I help you with?" She asks.

"The article in today's newspaper, the one about the abused boy, could you tell me the hospital that he is staying in?" I beg.

"No, sir," she replies. "It's confidential."

"Please, I'm a family friend of Harry Potter," I am about to break down.

Ms. Elmer sighs, "I wish I could help, but I don't even know. Although, you could ask the… ah, here it is, the Gibbs family. They are neighbors to the boy and are his medical contacts at the moment."

"What's their number?" I ask in a hurry.

"It's 1-301-123-4567. I hope that you find him!" She says through the phone.

I thank her and then hang up. I dial the number and pace anxiously before I hear a voice on the other line, "Gibbs."

"Mr. Gibbs? My name is Remus Lupin. Where are you? What hospital are you at? Is Harry all right?" I spit out quickly.

"Who are you and how do you know Harry?" The man growls back.

"I… I was a friend of Harry's parents. I can explain later, just please, let me see my Pup! How is he?" I reply, exasperatedly.

"Fine, Mr. Lupin, but you have to explain before you can see him. I can't bear to see him hurt again. And Harry is fine. He just woke up. We are at the Georgetown University Hospital. Just ask for Leroy Jethro Gibbs, not Harry Potter. Is that clear?"

"Yes, I understand. I would never hurt him, but I understand," I say as I hail a taxi. "I'll be there soon."

* * *

**A/N: I hope that you liked the chapter! The next one should come out a little faster... Don't forget to look for the allusions!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry that this chapter took so long and is pretty short... I wrote it and I am still not satisfied. Well, please let me know if there is anything you think needs to be changed. I know that this is moving a little slowly, but I do have plans for the next few chapters. Chapter 12 should be a little more emotional and then you'll see.**

**Last Chapter Summary: Remus find out that Harry is still alive and goes to visit him.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to NCIS or Harry Potter.**

**For all of the NCIS fans out there, only 1 week left! I have had a countdown for so long...**

* * *

**Remus POV**

I arrive at the hospital ten minutes later. Dashing through the front door, I skid to a stop in front of the receptionist.

"Hello," I pant. "My name is Remus Lupin. I am looking for a Mr. Gibbs. He should be expecting me."

She looks down at her papers, "I have no Gibbs logged… Oh, wait. Here's a Leroy Jethro Gibbs marked as an emergency medical contact."

"Where can I find him?"

"Room 216, sir. I hope you find what you're looking for."

I race up the stairs, not even bothering to wait for an elevator. I walk into the hallway and slip into the waiting room. All I see are people scurrying back and forth, calling out to one another.

"Nurse Deng to room 216. Nurse Deng."

A young woman rushes into the room carrying an IV and some tablets. I slowly make my way over to room 216 and I stand outside and just look in.

There he is, lying on the bed, gasping for breath. My eyes fill up with tears as I see him there. He is covered in bandages and tubes, but he's alive. My Pup is alive. All of a sudden, I can't get up the courage to go in. He probably won't recognize me and if he does, he'll ask where I've been for the last eight years. I content myself with just watching for now. After a few minutes, he falls into a light sleep.

Two doctors are standing around his bed with Nurse Deng, and they are quickly checking his vitals before letting him rest. Standing to the side of the bed are two people, a man a little older than me who I assume is Mr. Gibbs and a little girl who looks to be his daughter. She reminds me of Lily, but doesn't have the bright green eyes. Her smile is light, and I know that she will be a good friend to Harry.

Mr. Gibbs and his daughter walk out of the room. Both have tears in their eyes and are smiling broadly. I stop them on their way to the cafeteria.

"Mr. Gibbs, may I speak with you for a moment?" I ask.

The man nods and leads us to the waiting room. He looks at his daughter, "Kel, can you call Mommy and tell her that Harry's awake? She'll want to know, even if she's teaching."

Kelly takes the phone from his outstretched hand and dials the number before sitting down in one of the chairs.

"Now, what did you need?" Mr. Gibbs asks. "And just call me Gibbs."

"Gibbs, my name is Remus Lupin. Harry's parents were friends of mine from secondary school. I work with the United Kingdom Public Libraries in London and was in Washington for a meeting. I saw the newspaper article about Harry and had to see him. I haven't seen him since his first birthday, eight years ago," I reply, knowing that I can't tell Gibbs about magic and Voldemort.

"Where were you all this time? Why didn't you look after him?" Gibbs demands of me.

"I failed Harry. His parents and two others were my best friends. It was always Lily, James, Sirius, Peter and me. Directly after they died, Sirius killed Peter. It was only I left. I wallowed away in self-despair and by the time I got myself back on my feet, I couldn't get Harry back. I begged and pleaded, but Harry's guardian, the Headmaster of our school, wouldn't tell me where Harry was. I tried but there was only so much that I could do. He told me that it was for safety, but I don't know if I believe him. I never saw Harry again until today."

"What do you know about the Dursley's? Did you know them well?" Gibbs spits back.

"No, not well, but I had met Petunia once or twice. She and Lily… never really got along. She thought that their parents loved Lily more. She was awful to Lily, and I never thought that she would be listed as a guardian. I remember Lily saying that they had just executed their will about three months before their death, but I never saw it," I end.

"What about his Headmaster? Did he see the will?" Gibbs questions relentlessly.

"I don't know. We haven't talked since I begged him to let me see Harry. I can try to find out about the will, but it will be hard. I haven't been in contact with anyone one that knew the Potters since then. I can try, though," I reply cautiously. I know that I can't tell him about being a werewolf because he doesn't know about magic.

"Give me one moment; I'll contact a friend of ours," I run into the bathroom and slip my wand into my hand. "Expecto Patronum!" I whisper as forcefully as I can. The silvery wolf glides out of my wand and turns to look at me.

"To Professor Minerva McGonagall when she is alone, please contact me immediately. You know how. And do not tell Dumbledore."

The wolf runs off and out of the hospital. I thank Merlin that muggles can't see patronum, or else I wouldn't be able to contact Minerva.

* * *

**Minerva POV**

I sigh and get out my red quill so that I can start grading essays. I look at the one on the top of my stack. In large letters, it reads "Forge Weasley". I chuckle softly and then perform a quick spell that reveals the owner to be Fred Weasley. Although I would never admit it, those two make me laugh. They can be quite disruptive, but they are very smart when they apply themselves. I make a small note at the top telling Fred to write his own name next time before continuing down the parchment.

_The Origin of the Scribblifors Spell_

_The Scribblifors Spell was—_

Suddenly, a silvery wolf strides gracefully into the room. I gasp out loud as I recognize the animal. The Patronus belongs to Remus! I set down my quill and beckon the animal forward.

"Please contact me immediately," the whisper of Remus' voice whispers. "You know how. And do not tell Albus."

This last command takes me by surprise, but I decided to honor it anyway. I take out a small cellphone that a few of us in the Order of the Phoenix had gotten just before the Potters were killed. Remus knows that I am often in the castle, where electronics and magic don't mix.

I dress in muggle clothing and then walk outside before apparating to Diagon Alley. I walk into the Leaky Cauldron and then into muggle London. I walk down the street and dial Remus' number. He picks up on the second ring.

"Minerva? Thank you so much for calling!" He says through the phone. He is speaking quickly and sounds anxious.

"Remus, are you all right? What's happening? Why are you calling now? We haven't spoken in eight years!" I ask frantically. Although I haven't talked with him in years, he is still like a son to me.

"I'm in a hospital in Washington, D.C. I found Harry."

I gasp. I haven't seen Harry since he was under a year old. He called me Grandmum in that adorable way of his. Well, it didn't sounds much like Grandmum but we knew that's what he was calling me.

"Why is he in a hospital? What's wrong?" I need to know what happened to him. I regret leaving him that night at the Dursley's house. I went back to check on Harry the next day or even take him home with me, but I couldn't remember the address or find the house. Something had happened. It was either a Fidelus charm or the blood connection with Petunia and Lily was working—and too well. Both Filius and I tried but neither of us could find him.

"The Dursleys," Remus replies and my heart drops. "They… they abused him. He almost died but some of their neighbors found him. They stopped the Dursleys from hurting Harry anymore and called the police. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Vernon and Petunia Dursley were found guilty of abuse yesterday. Vernon will be going to jail for 20 years and Petunia's going for 15 years. There was an article in the paper that I read. I found him at a hospital here in Washington, D.C."

"Remus, why are you in Washington, D.C.?" I ask.

"I was working. I can explain later, but I need to know something. Before sending Harry to the Dursley's home, did you or Albus ever look at the Potter's will?" He sounds flustered.

"I didn't and I'm not sure if Albus did. Why do you ask?" I am confused about why Remus would be asking all of these questions.

He doesn't answer but instead takes a moment to talk to someone on the side quietly and then he asks me another question, "Wouldn't Lily have specifically said that Harry shouldn't go to the Dursley's?"

I hesitate, but Remus' question is a good one, "Well, I think so. But what is going on?"

"I'm here with Harry's neighbors, the ones that saved him. The father is an investigator and he was asking. I haven't been in contact with anyone since leaving after Lily and James were killed. I called because I have a favor to ask you. Could you… could you speak with the bank and open the will? You know how it has to be in person, and I won't leave Harry.

"I would be allowed in, but it would be hard to get there, for obvious reasons," He adds.

I nod, "Of course. I will contact you when it is done. Tell Harry that Grandmum says hello. I've missed you, Remus."

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope that you enjoyed! Once again, please look for the allusions in Chapter 9. It would make me very happy. **

**And to all of the Jews out there, L'Shana Tovah!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Ahh! I am so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter up! I had major writer's block... This chapter is very Harry Potter oriented and I know that there are a few details I'll mess up, but you'll have to excuse me. Not a whole lot happens in this chapter, but things are revealed. Remember though, this isn't the be all end all. Reasoning has to be explained, the truth about the truth will still come out, etc.**

**Last Chapter Summary: Remus finds Harry and has a talk with Gibbs, Harry wakes up, Remus calls Minerva and they talk about the Potter's will**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or NCIS**

* * *

**Minerva POV**

I walk into Gringotts and find a goblin teller that is available.

"How can I help you?" He asks.

"I need to speak with someone about the execution of a will. It is urgent," I reply.

The goblin looks quite bored, but continues to ask the standard questions, "Whose will are you disputing?"

"The Potters'."

"And why?" The goblin asks.

I hesitate before pulling out my muggle cellphone. A few years ago, I created a spell that could play back the last conversation had on a cellphone. Electronics and magic don't usually mix, but because the cellphone was not actually being used, the spell worked.

I explain the purpose of the cellphone and suddenly realize that the goblin will want to know what the conversation was about that was so important. "I was speaking with an old friend of mine regarding the Potters yesterday when he brought up some facts that didn't quite sit right with me. It is very important that I find out the truth."

The goblin hesitates but eventually comes to a decision. He beckons with one of his long, spindly fingers to follow him. We step into one of the carts and he presses a few buttons. The cart speeds down dozens of corridors, writhing left and right. After a few moments, we stop moving. The goblin gets out and motions for me to follow him.

I do, and he brings me through more hallways and past many doors that look like they might lead to offices. Finally, we hit the end of a hallway and my goblin guide knocks quickly.

A horse voice calls from within, "Enter."

The goblin opens the door and walks in. The room that we've entered is elegant with a goblin-made sword hanging on the wall. An ornate desk sits in the center of the room with an elderly goblin sitting behind it. He gestures to a chair for me to sit down in, and I graciously nod.

"May your gold flow on," I greet.

"And may it never stop," he replies.

"Minerva McGonagall," I bow slightly.

The goblin bows his head back, "Ranlok. Director of Gringotts. What do you need?"

That was one thing that you could always rely on goblins for; they are always straight to the point.

"I need information about a will," I begin. "I know that normally, I would not be able to view it as it is not mine and I was not called for the reading, but therein lies the problem."

Ranlok's eyes pierce straight through me, "We would have contacted you if you were in it."

I smile tightly, "As I said, I have reason to believe that not everything was quite… orthodox when the will was drawn up."

Bringing out the cellphone, I once again explain its use and then play back the last conversation.

Ranlok's face is impassive, but he listens closely. When the conversation ends, he snaps his fingers and a long piece of parchment appears. He scans it before calling to the goblin that brought me in, "Hemguk! Get Alfuf immediately and tell him nothing.

A few minutes later, Hemguk returns with Alfuf. Ranlok turns to Alfuf and beckons him closer, "You presided over the Potters' will."

The goblin nods, and Ranlok continues, "Did you execute the will according to procedure?"

Another nod, but it is a little more hesitant this time.

"Get me a copy of the will," Ranlok demands.

Alfuf cowers slightly under Ranlok's gaze, but he slowly draws the piece of paper out of the air. Ranlok curls his finger towards himself and the will flies into his hands.

He looks over all of the details before turning to me, "You are correct. You are in this will, yet you were not called in. As are Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Alice and Frank Longbottom, Marlene McKinnon, Emmeline Vance, and Filius Flitwick."

He looks at Alfuf, "Why did you not follow procedure?"

Alfuf doesn't answer.

"Why?" Ranlok thunders.

Alfuf begins to shake, "I… I was told to."

"By whom?" Ranlok asks. His voice is quiet, but deadly.

"By Albus Dumbledore."

I gasp, but inside I know that this really isn't too surprising.

Ranlok doesn't seem surprised either, "What did you get in exchange.

When Alfuf doesn't answer, he beckons him forward and says something to him softly. I see Alfuf tremble and then back out of the room slowly.

"Get all of the wizards in the will here!" Ranlok demands of Hemguk.

Hemguk walks out of the room before I can stop him, but I soon get my voice back, "Many of them won't be able to make it. Marlene McKinnon is dead, Sirius Black is in Azkaban for his betrayal, and Alice and Frank are in St. Mungo's. Remus Lupin is out of the country. Only Emmeline, Filius and I could be here for the reading."

"You contacted Remus Lupin. He can listen through that muggle contraption. Our magic is different than yours. It doesn't interfere with muggle electricity as much. And as for Sirius Black, well, he's innocent," Ranlok replies.

I stare at Ranlok, but I know that goblins do not joke. "But," I sputter, "he was the Potter's Secret Keeper! He betrayed them to You- Voldemort!"

"No, in the will it states that Peter was their Secret Keeper and Sirius was just a decoy."

I can't take it anymore. I put my head into my hands and burst into tears. Everything that I have buried away for the past eight years is coming back.

After a few moments, I am calm again, "What can we do about it?"

"We?" Ranlok asks. "No, it is just you. Take it to the Wizengamot. We will read the will with Mr. Black before he is set free. He will just still be in chains."

I nod and Hemguk enters the room with Emmeline Vance and Filius Flitwick in tow.

Picking up my cellphone, I dial Remus. He picks up on the second ring, "Minerva?"

"Yes Remus. How is Harry?" I ask anxiously.

"Doing better. What do you need? And how are you talking with me?" Remus replies.

"Apparently, muggle technology and goblin magic can coexist. Remus, I have important news. Albus did read the will and in it, the Dursleys are never mentioned. The reading is about to begin. Oh, and Remus?" I know that the news of Sirius' innocence will come as a shock to him.

"Yes?" He asks.

"Sirius is innocent."

"What?! Sirius is innocent? No, no! He killed Lily, James and Peter. He can't be! Minerva, he's a murderer," Remus explodes at me. His reaction is to be expected; the four Marauders were closer than any other group of friends that I've ever seen. Remus was horrified by Sirius' betrayal.

"No, Remus. Sirius is innocent. Peter was really the Secret Keeper; Sirius was the decoy. Peter betrayed the Potters," I tell him.

"So, is Sirius out of jail? And is Peter really dead?" He questions me.

"I am working on getting Sirius out of jail, but I'll tell him today about what we found. The goblins have the right to get a prisoner from Azkaban for bank business. The goblins said that you could listen in through the phone, but I really think that you should be here for it," I add.

"All right," Remus says. "I'll be there as soon as I can, but I will leave as soon as it is over. I need to get back to my Pup."

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope that you liked this chapter! **

**Thank you to all of the reviewers! I don't have time to respond to them all individually (although I will if you have a question/concern/it is especially amazing), but I would like to say that I really appreciate them!**

**I hope to get the next chapter up soon. Have a good Halloween if I don't get chapter 13 up by then!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So, I'm sorry about all of the Chapter 13 confusion! I wrote a chapter, but I didn't like it very much. The characters all seemed a little OOC and the plot was weird, but I didn't know what to fix, so I posted it anyway. A huge thank you to _Venpex_ who sent me an email with some amazing ideas that I used to change this chapter. Hopefully it's much better! And I said that I'd have it up by Thursday night at the latest, but my internet was down. It's back now, though, so I can post this! I hope that you like it.**

**WARNING: Regarding Gibbs, remember that Shannon and Kelly aren't dead, so I'd imagine that he would be a little less paranoid and less like the Gibbs we know today.**

**Last Chapter Summary: McGonagall finds out that the will was hidden by Dumbledore and that Sirius is innocent, Remus decides to go for the reading and then get right back to Harry**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to NCIS or Harry Potter.**

* * *

**Remus POV**

I turn to Gibbs and he just raises his eyebrows at me. "I can't explain right now, but I need to go."

"You're really going to go all the way to England and then back again?" Gibbs asks incredulously.

I sigh, "I will explain later. Right now, I just need to leave. If anything happens with Harry, please let me know." I write down my phone number and give it to him.

Before Gibbs can say another word, I walk out of the hospital and down the street. Finding a small alley, I place appearance-changing spells on myself and then apparate to Diagon Alley. I enter Gringotts quietly and give a goblin my wand for inspection.

"I am here for the reading of the Potter's will," I explain.

The goblin nods me through and another goblin comes to take me to the back room. I ask the goblin if I can take off the glamours quickly and he hesitantly nods.

I pull out my wand and fix my appearance before entering the room. I see Emmeline Vance, Filius Flitwick, and Minerva all sitting and talking quietly. When they see me, they smile and beckon me over.

I look to Minerva, "Has he arrived?"

She shakes her head, "He'll be here in a minute. And yes, they know."

I smile before bringing up a topic that none of us want to discuss, "What are we going to do about Albus?"

Filius frowns, "I never thought that Albus would do something like this! I guess that we'll just have to wait until Sirius is set free. Remus, you'll have to make sure that Sirius does not get the chance to go after Albus. You know that after how he ruined all of our lives, Sirius would not stop until he was certain that Albus is feeling the same pain that he and poor Harry did. Speaking of Harry, Minerva says that something happened with the Dursleys. Is everything all right?"

I begin to describe what I know about it but soon, the doors open and Sirius is dragged in.

"Sirius!" I yell.

He looks haggard and his cheeks are gaunt, but he seems to still be sane. "Remus? What's happening?"

I run over to him and hug him tightly, "I'll explain the details later, but we know that you're innocent. Albus hid Lily and James' will, and we just found out. You're here for the reading of the will, but I promise that we will get you out. But Sirius, what really happened that night between you and Peter?"

His face twists into a grimace, "I was going after Peter because I knew what he had done. Peter, that little rat, screamed for the world to hear that I had done it, that I was the one who betrayed Lily and James. Then he blew up the street and turned into a rat and ran away. That was when the Aurors found me and I couldn't think. I just let them take me."

"So he's still alive?" I ask.

"As far as I know," Sirius responds. "Where's Harry?"

I hesitate because I know how protective Sirius is over Harry, "He's safe. It's a long story, but he's safe now. Let's hear the will and then we can talk more."

Sirius shakes his head, "Remus, tell me now!"

"No, Sirius. Know that he is safe and has friends that care about him."

"And Remus?" Sirius looks a little guilty. After my nod, he continues, "I'm sorry we thought that it was you."

I sigh, "We're even." I walk over to everyone else and we take a seat for the reading of the will.

* * *

What the hell is wrong with Albus Dumbledore? He thinks that everything he does is for the "greater good", but does he ever really think about what it is doing to people? He let Harry stay with the Dursleys, who abused him and almost killed him. He let Sirius dwell away in prison when he knew the truth!

I make a split-second decision; I can't stay in England anymore. I'll pack my bags and go to America. I'll live near Harry, wherever he's living at the moment. I know that however much I want to, I can't take in Harry. In the magical world, I can't because I'm a werewolf. And in the muggle world, my name has a red mark next to it that tells the reader to speak with a representative of the PC, or the Peoples' Commission. The name is purposely ambiguous so that we are not breaking the Statute of Secrecy.

I apparate directly home once leaving Gringotts. I pick up my cellphone and dial the UKPL, extension to Mrs. Hemmit.

"Yes?" She answers.

"Hi, Mrs. Hemmit, it's Remus. I wanted to thank you for everything that you have done for me. I am so grateful. I am moving to America to be with some… family of mine that I just found," I reply. I am so sorry for leaving after everything that she's done for me, but I need to get out of here.

"Remus, are you all right? Is there something wrong?" Mrs. Hemmit asks.

"No, there's nothing wrong. I am so sorry about this, but I need to leave and be with my family. You got the report about the conference, correct?" I ask.

"Yes, I did. Julia gave it to me. And I understand; congratulations on finding your family. Call once in a while to check up, okay Remus?"

I smile, "Of course. Thanks for everything and I'll talk to you soon. Bye."

"Bye, Remus. We'll miss you over here," She replies.

"And I'll miss you as well. Tell everyone there goodbye," And with that, I hang up. I find a duffle bag and then shrink whatever I'll need. I don't organize anything; I just throw in some clothes, books, pictures, money and whatever else I think that I'll need.

I lock my apartment door and walk out, never looking back.

* * *

**Gibbs POV**

It's been three hours since Remus left and Kelly and I are sitting in Harry's room, reading to him. He yawns loudly and we close the book.

"Do you want to go back to sleep?" I ask him. "We can go outside and bring some food back for you."

"No, I've been sleeping a lot," Harry replies shyly. "What happened when I was asleep?"

"Oh," Kelly exclaims. "A man came in looking for you!"

Harry cringes and looks down, "Does he want to hurt me?"

I shake my head immediately, "No, Harry. He was a friend of your parents and he just found you again. He had a very hard time after your parents died. Then one of their friends killed another one of their friends and he was the only one left. He was very sad, but when he got himself back on his feet, he couldn't find you. The only person who knew where you were wouldn't tell him. I don't know why."

"Where is he now?" Harry asks.

"He had to go do something back in England to help you. He'll be back soon, I'm not sure how, but he will. Don't worry," I assure Harry.

"Who is he?" Harry asks.

"His name is Remus. He kept calling you Pup. Do you remember him?" I question Harry.

He shakes his head sadly, "No, I don't think so."

"That's okay," I reply. "Maybe you'll recognize him when he comes back."

"What happened with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia?" Harry asks hesitantly.

Kelly jumps in, "They're going to jail for a long time. You won't have to go back."

"So, where will I go?"

I sigh, "Harry, I don't know yet. You'll probably be put up for adoption, but don't worry. Shannon, Kelly and I will meet anyone that wants to adopt you and we'll make sure that they'll treat you right."

"Daddy," Kelly turns to me. "Can we adopt him?"

"Oh, Kel, you know I wish we could, but we can't. We don't have enough money to keep him and pay for college tuition when you two grow up. But if social services needs a place for you to stay for a while, you can definitely stay with us," I reply. "And Harry, if we can't find anyone good enough for you, then there will always be a home with us. I just wish that we could promise a permanent home with us."

Harry looks down, "It's okay. I understand. You've already down so much."

"It was worth it," I smile. "You're stuck with Kelly, though. I'm sure that at school, she won't let you out of her sight. And Shannon and I will see you around."

Harry grins slightly, "Thank you Mr. Gibbs. I don't know what I can give you in return."

"Nothing Harry. We just want you to be happy."

Harry leans forward hesitantly and puts his arms around me. Although I'm not much of a hugger, I hold him close and pull Kelly in.

We're interrupted by a light knock on the door. "Pup?"

Harry looks up, "Who are you?"

"I'm your Remus, but you called me Uncle Moony. Do you remember me?"

Harry nods hesitantly, "I think so. I remember seeing you in some of my dreams. There was you, and my mom and dad, and two other people. We had a dog, didn't we?"

Remus laughs, "Sort of. There were your parents, myself, and the two other people were your Uncles Padfoot and Wormy. Padfoot is the man that's always smiling and he has scraggly hair. Wormy is the shorter, pudgy man."

Harry screws up his face as he's trying to remember. His face soon dawns with recognition and Remus continues, "Harry, I can't believe you remember all of this."

"I dreamt about them when I was with the Dursleys sometimes," Harry shrugs.

Remus runs forward and picks him up off of the bed gently, watching out for the cords and bed. He holds him tightly, but his smile fades. "Harry. I am so sorry that I wasn't there for you when you were left with the Dursleys. I… I have a chronic illness and I thought that you would be better with someone else. You're parents were murdered and then-."

"Wait, my parents were murdered?" Harry asks. "Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon said that they died in a car crash."

"No, Harry, they were murdered by a serial killer. I am so sorry," Remus tells him.

"Then, how did I get his scar?" He asks timidly.

"The man hurt you, too," Remus replies. I can tell that Remus is holding something back, but I don't know what.

Harry nods, "But why didn't you come for me?"

"It was a mistake. I was so upset when you're parents died and then right after that, Wormy died. Until now, we all thought that Sirius, your Uncle Padfoot, killed him. I just fell apart. I couldn't do anything. Once I was thinking straight again, I tried to find you but the only person who knew where you were wouldn't tell me.

"I just found out that in your parents' will, you were never to go to the Dursleys. You were supposed to go to Sirius or Grandmum, but not them. And Sirius, he's innocent," Remus finally breaks down. He sits on the bed with his head in his hands.

"So, Padfoot didn't kill Wormy?" Harry asks.

"No, he didn't, Pup. And Grandmum is trying to get him out right now."

"Who's Grandmum?" Harry looks confused.

"She was a teacher of ours at our school. We became good friends and she was like your Grandmum. If you want, she said that you could live with her. Sirius said that you could live with him, too, once he's free again," Remus hugs Harry tightly.

"What about you?"

"Oh, Pup, I wish I could, I really do, but I can't adopt you. I'm not allowed to because of my illness," Remus responds. There are too many things not adding up here, so I decide to but in.

"Remus, may I speak with you?" We go out into the hallway and before I can speak, he holds up his hand.

"Now, I know that there are many things that I am saying and doing that don't make sense, but I can't explain yet. I will soon, but not yet," I just glare in response.

"How did you go to England and back in three hours? And what illness do you have that stops you from adopting? Stop trying to think up pathetic excuses and start taking care of Harry!" I'm fuming. How dare this man pretend to care about Harry and then just go back and make up stupid reasons for letting him go again?

I don't have my guard up, so it takes me by surprise when Remus pins me against a wall, "Never talk to me like that again! I am not lying and believe me, there is nothing more in this world I would like than be able to take care of Harry. I would do anything to do that, but I truly can't. It's illegal."

He drops me and takes out his cellphone, "Minerva, I need to tell them… Yes, the other man as well… It's his choice whether to tell his daughter or not… Of course, I know procedure… Yes, if needed I am ready…. All right, I'll speak with you soon."

He hangs up and turns to me, "I can explain everything. I haven't been exactly straight with you. Everything that I've said is true, but I haven't told you all of the details."

He takes out a stick and holds it tightly, "I am a wizard."

I raise my eyebrows; I don't appreciate jokes like this.

Understanding my train of thought, Remus shakes his head. "I promise this is not a joke." He drags me into a deserted hallway and waves the stick around. A small match appears. He mutters something and it changes into a needle. It's impressive, but could just be a mind trick.

I laugh, "You could just be a magician."

He's persistent, though, and after waving his stick and vanishing the needle, he tunrs to me. Pointing the stick directly at me, he waves it in a way that looks almost like conducting and says, "Windgardium Leviosa!"

I start to float above the ground and Remus' movements with the stick are controlling where I'm moving!

"This is impossible!" I yell at him.

"No," he counters, "it's magic."

"Do you believe me now?" Remus asks once I've hit the ground.

I nod slowly. Inside, I know that this is impossible and that I shouldn't believe him, but what he's done wouldn't be possible without magic.

I'm about to start asking questions when, once again, he stops me.

"Let me explain before you say anything." At my nod, he begins. A few minutes later, he finishes his brief yet chaotic explanation and I just stand there, not knowing what to say.

I am rarely speechless, but in this case, I think that it is warranted. Once I feel like I have regained my bearings, I ask Remus the one thing that I really need to know, "But how does any of this explain why you can't take Harry in?"

"I do not like to talk about it, but I have a magical illness that restricts many of my rights," He looks upset by it, but I can't just drop it.

"How does an illness restrict your rights? Is it dangerous?" I pressure him.

"Just leave it. Now, let me get back to Harry. Please."

"One other thing. Can I tell my wife and daughter about this?" I ask.

"That is up to you, but if you do, they are not allowed to tell anyone else. If I find out that you have, or someone who you told had, then I can wipe your memory. If I were you, I would tell your wife but wait to tell your daughter."

I sigh and we walk out of the alcove and back into the room where Harry and Kelly and chatting away.

"Kelly, I think that it's time for us to go home. You and Harry can talk more tomorrow, okay?" I want to bring her home because it's been a long day for all of us. Plus, I really need to talk with Shannon about this.

Harry waves goodbye and we walk out of the room. I glance back in and all I see are Harry and Remus talking animatedly. I smile and take Kelly's hand.

* * *

"Shan?" I call when we get home.

"In the kitchen!" She yells back.

She kisses me in greeting and then hugs Kelly, "How's Harry doing?"

Kelly beams, "He's good. He woke up and is feeling much better. I can't wait to tell Ziva, Abby, and Tim! May I call them before dinner? Please?"

"Sure sweetie, but dinner is in about 20 minutes. I'll call you when it's time to set the table and get drinks on. Okay?" Shannon smiles.

"Okay, Mommy," Kelly grabs the phone and runs upstairs.

"All right Jethro," Shannon looks at me and crosses her arms once Kelly leaves. "What's bothering you? You have this strange look on your face."

"We need to talk," I say. We go into the living room and sit on the couch. "Shan, don't interrupt me until I'm done. Then you can ask anything you want, but I may not be able to answer everything."

She nods, so I begin. I tell her about Remus and how he's a wizard. I described how he levitated me with his wand.

I take a deep breath and then start to tell her everything that Remus told me, "Harry, too, is a wizard. So were his parents. And no, the Dursleys were not magical. Lily, Harry's mom, was something called a muggleborn. A muggle is someone like us, a person without magic. Their friends, Sirius and Peter, were wizards as well. They all met at their school, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were best friends in school. In their last year, James and Lily started dating. They married about a year out of schooling, when they were all 18.

"Partway through their years at school, a wizard named Tom Riddle gained power. He went by Lord Voldemort, but apparently most people called him You-Know-Who. He believed in this concept called blood purity and the idea that purebloods, the people with full magical blood, were the only magical people worth anything. He thought that muggleborns were dirty and deserved to die. Lily was a target, but because of her magical prowess, Voldemort offered her a deal. He would forget about her bloodline if she and James joined him. James was a pureblood, but he was what Voldemort called a blood traitor.

"His family didn't care about blood purity. He and Lily refused the offer to join Voldemort. All five of them joined a group called the Order of the Phoenix. The Order of the Phoenix was a group led by Albus Dumbledore that tried to defeat Voldemort. Albus Dumbledore was their Headmaster. He's the one that saw the Potters' will and disregarded it. Remus said that around the time when Lily got pregnant, they all started treating him suspiciously and like a traitor.

"Halloween of 1981 was the day that everything came to a head. Lily and James had gone into hiding because of a prophecy that said that Harry would have the power to destroy Voldemort and-."

"Wait, what?" Shannon asks incredulously. "Harry was just a baby, how would he have the power to destroy this man?"

"Voldemort wanted to destroy Harry or before Harry gained the power. He didn't know about the rest of the prophecy that stated that he would mark Harry as his equal.

"Harry was a little over a year old. There is a charm - I don't remember the name - that protects a house. One person is designated as the Secret-Keeper and they are the only ones that are able to tell someone where a person lives. No one else can see the home. The Potters protected their home with it. Everyone thought that the Secret-Keeper was Sirius, but it was just a trick.

"They switched to their other friend named Peter because they thought that he wouldn't be bothered and Sirius was just a decoy. It turned out that Peter was working for Voldemort. On Halloween, he told Voldemort the address of the Potter's home and went there. He killed James and then went to kill Harry, but Lily sacrificed herself for him. No one knows how, but the sacrifice protected Harry and when Voldemort tried to kill him, the curse backfired and Voldemort is now gone, but no one can find the body.

"When Sirius heard about it, he went straight to the Potters' house and tried to get Harry, but some giant already had him and was taking him to Dumbledore. Sirius then went after Peter and tried to kill him. But Peter framed Sirius by yelling that he killed the Potters and that Sirius was a traitor. He cut off his finger and blew up the street before turning into something and running away.

"Everyone in the wizarding world thought that Sirius was the traitor, so he was locked away in the wizarding prison without a trial. And then today, the will was reopened because when Remus was telling me about what happened, my gut told me that something was wrong-,"

"Oh, the famous gut!" Shannon interjects. She's taking all of this surprisingly calmly.

I grin, "How are you so calm about this?"

"Oh, I had a friend when I was younger that would always change her clothes depending on how she felt. And I don't mean she would go home and change her outfit; I mean she would just wish her clothes would change and they would. I always thought that there was something going on with that. I hadn't thought about it in years, but now I know that it was magic," She replies.

I'm surprised, Shannon's never told me any of this, but once I think about it, I don't know why it would have. She didn't know for sure, and weird facts about childhood friends don't usually come up in conversation.

"Anyway," I continue, "Remus contacted a friend of his and a few hours later, they read the will. The will said that Harry wasn't supposed to go to the Dursleys, but stay with other wizards. Remus can't take in Harry because of some magical illness, but he doesn't know where Harry should go."

Shannon nods, "Well that's certainly a loaded story, and there is no way that all the facts are in."

"Shan," I begin, "where should Harry go? With the Dursleys in jail, he has no family and I don't know if the wizards in England can take him? Kelly asked today if we could adopt him. I had to tell her that we couldn't because of money, but I promised Harry that if he ever needed somewhere to go he could come here. We just can't promise him anything permanent!"

"I know, love. I know. I wish we could, too. We'll just have to make sure that he goes with the right people."

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope that you all liked it, and for the special few who had the (dis)pleasure of reading the first draft, I hope that this one is more satisfying! I hope that none of you were hit too badly with Sandy, and if you were, that everything is up and running soon. Have a good weekend and a good Election Day!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I am so sorry! It's been way too long since I updated and this chapter is pretty short...**

**This chapter is a little confusing and has nothing to do with any other chapter, but it will all make sense in the next few chapters. I wanted to have a fluff chapter in between the last one and this one and I was writing a Thanksgiving one, but I had family over and my houes was insane. I'll finish writing it at some point and probably publish it as a companion piece. **

**I know that many things are not tied up from the last few chapters, with Harry, Remus, Dumbledore... Who will Harry go to, etc. I will answer all of this in the coming chapters. I had to have this in here, though, for everything to work. I have a plan for what will happen.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to NCIS or Harry Potter.**

* * *

**Kate POV**

Tonight is the first playoff game for the Nationals. Joey DiNozzo invited Ari and me to see it with him. His dad got great tickets. My parents were hesitant to let me go because Mr. DiNozzo will be the only adult with us and he's not known for his responsibility. I made a deal with my mom that I could go if both Ari and I had our phones and checked in with either her or Aunt Nettie once an hour and when we were leaving. She grudgingly allowed me to after a long talk with Aunt Nettie.

We're taking the Metro so after I get dressed in a Nationals jersey and baseball cap, I run downstairs and my mom hands me the SmarTrip card.

I can feel eyes on the back of my head, so I turn around, "Yeah, Tim? What's up?"

"Is Joey like Tony? Because if so, I don't want you to go," He tells me in a timid voice. He's trying to be the protective brother like he's seen with Ari and Ziva, but he's not doing a very good job. Ever since he heard that I was going somewhere with a DiNozzo, he's been bugging me about it.

"No, I don't think so. I don't really know Tony, but from what you've said, they're nothing alike," I respond, trying to be somewhat nice about it.

"Oh. Why? They have the same parents," Tim looks up at me shyly. He always asks the right questions.

I shrug, "I don't really know, but from what Joey's told me, they treat Tony better than Joey because Tony was some sort of miracle baby or something. He's their favorite."

A car honks outside. I kiss my mom's cheek and tell Tim and Sarah goodbye.

The car honks again and I jog out to it. Joey motions me to sit in the backseat with Ari. Ari smiles at me and I blush slightly, hoping that he doesn't notice.

We arrive at the Metro station quickly. Right after we pay, Joey notices that the train that we want to take train is getting ready to leave and there won't be another one for at least 10 minutes. We all sprint and get to the doors just as they're about to close. Mr. DiNozzo squeezes in at the last second, and we're speeding off to the stadium.

The car that we got on is packed. There are so many people on it and most are heading to the game like us. Their excited mood is infectious and even though the train is uncomfortably packed and loud, we're all smiling and laughing.

Finally, along with everyone else, we get to our stop. Ari grabs my hand and pulls me out. We all find each other and walk with the masses to the stadium. I notice that Ari still hasn't let go of my hand, but I don't say anything about it. We enter the stadium after a while and get to our seats. Mr. DiNozzo walks away soon after and comes back, a beer in hand.

I remember the promise to my mom, so I send her a quick text just as the game is beginning.

* * *

The game ends with the score 3-2, over the St. Louis Cardinals. We all get up, chatting excitedly. I look around for Mr. DiNozzo so we can leave, but I don't see him. Joey grabs his phone and calls his dad. His face goes from a bright, warm smile to a worried expression. He hands up and looks at us, "He's wasted.'

Ari and I exchange looks as Joey continues, "He won't be able to find us, and we can't find him. I'm not sure what we should do."

I call my mom, "Mom, Mr. DiNozzo's drunk. Joey said that we won't be able to find him. What do you want us to do?"

"Get on the Metro anyway," Mom replies. "I'll pick you three up on the other end. Joey can stay at our house tonight. Kate, thanks for calling sweetie."

"No problem, Mom. I'll tell them. Thanks!" I hang up and put my phone back into my pocket.

"What'd she say?" Ari asks me.

"She told me that we should get on the train and ride home. She can pick us up once we get there. Joey, you can stay with us tonight and we can call your dad in the morning," I explain.

"Sounds good, Katie," Ari smiles. "Let's go."

We get all of our things and head out. We get onto the Metro without a problem and find two seats that we manage to fit into. Ari squeezes my hand, but before I can say anything, Joey starts laughing, "Good timing Ari!"

Ari wrinkles his eyebrows, "For what?"

He gestures to our hands, "It took you long enough!"

Ari blushes lightly while my face turns a bright shade of red.

The Metro stops and people bustle out of the train. The doors close again and it speeds along the rails. Joey's telling some joke when a screech is heard outside the window and the train comes to a halt. We strain our eyes to see what's happening, but we can't see anything. Then another sound is heard, and it's getting louder and louder.

* * *

**3rd Person POV**

Anna Todd-McGee sits in her car, staring at the Metro station with the radio on. She's waiting to pick up her daughter and two friends. They went to a baseball game with one of the friend's fathers, but he got drunk and disappeared.

She shakes her head and checks her watch for what seems to be the thirtieth time. She knows that there's no cell phone reception on the Metro, so there could just be a backup, but she can't help but worry.

Suddenly, her radio program goes silent and then a siren fills the car, "We interrupt your program to bring you an important message."

This could be anything, but Mrs. Todd-McGee can feel a pit forming in her stomach.

"There has been a Metro accident. A Metro train went off the rails and another train going in the other direction crashed into it at full speed. So far, 62 have been found dead and 83 are injured. Rescue is still working. If you know someone that might have been on the train, please report to the Takoma station. Thank you for listening to this important message. We will now return to your usual program."

The music starts up again, but Mrs. Todd-McGee doesn't notice. She doesn't care how many traffic violations she's just committed or the fact that her phone is ringing loudly. She makes it the station as fast as she possibly can and she runs inside.

She runs up to the EMTs and by that time, she's sobbing wildly and can barely speak.

"My daughter and two of her friends, I think they might have been on the train," she spits out quickly.

"All right, ma'am. Here are the injured," He hands her a stack of pictures. "We rushed them to the hospital, but wanted family members and friends to be able to recognize them prior to going. There are a few that got out with only a few scratches and bruises. We had them wait over there for inspection once we get to the one's who need attention immediately."

She nods and looks around the room, waiting for her daughter to come running. No one comes running to her, so she slowly begins to look through the pictures, her heart sinking the farther along she gets. She stares at each picture, muttering under her breath, "_No, No, Certainly not my Katie, No, No…" _

Her voice catches in her throat as she recognizes the next picture. Tears fall down her face but she manages to get out the necessary information, "It's… sir… I know this boy. His name is Ari David. His guardian here in the states is a woman named Nettie David. Here, here is her phone number. Do, do you know if he'll be all right?"

The EMT shakes his head gravely, "I'm afraid that I don't. You'd have to go to the hospital to find out. Do you need to keep looking?"

"Yes," she replies.

She finishes looking through the stack of pictures once, but sees no one that even resembles her daughter. She goes through it again and again; with each flip, her fingers shake more violently and her eyes get a crazy look in them. After the seventh time, she breaks down.

The EMT rushes over to her, "Did you find your daughter?"

"No," she sobs. "No."

* * *

**A/N: So, what happened? Who's dead? Who's alive? Why do I have this here? What will this mean to everyone?**

**I hope that you, well, not really enjoyed but more appreciated this chapter. Let me know if there's anything you think that I should change!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Happy New Year! **

**I am so sorry that this is late, and it is a very sad chapter. I was actually almost choking up... That could have been because I was watching the season 2 premiere of West Wing, but oh well.**

**I hope that this chapter satisfies you and have a good new year. Oh, and a few reminders:**

**1. CAUTION: There is cursing in this chapter.**

**2. Remus has told Harry about magic**

**3. Sirius is still in England because the Ministry of Magic wants to make sure that the dementors do not have awful effects on him.**

**4. McGonagall is in England keeping an eye on Dumbledore. **

**5. Remus has become friends with the Gibbs', Nettie, and the McGees**

**6. I don't own NCIS or Harry Potter**

**I think that's it. Enjoy!**

* * *

3rd Person POV

Anna Todd-McGee runs around the station, running into the cars and screaming her daughter's name. The firefighters try to hold her back, but it is difficult to hold a mother back from her daughter.

More bodies are dragged out; more people stumble, trying to understand what happened.

The rescue workers speak over radios, trying to make some sense out of the chaos. The body count piles up. Soon, Mrs. Todd-McGee recognizes the body of Joey DiNozzo among the faces. Her hands fly up to her face and she gasps. Seeing where the body came from. She tries to run into the car. People stop her, pulling her back, but still she screams, "My daughter! She's in there! She must be… Please! Don't leave her!"

The men and women shake their heads, knowing that they've already checked in there. One woman, a firefighter named Janet Gleen, heads back inside the car, yelling out for anyone that needs help. In the car, there is rubble everywhere. Every step has to be made carefully because of the fragility of the car. She looks in every nook and corner, wanting to help the distraught mother outside. She understands, being the mother of two children herself, why the woman is in hysterics. She moves things out of the way and makes the area a little bit more clear.

Suddenly, she sees a movement under a piece of the ceiling. She calls some others over and on the count of three they lift it up. Underneath is a girl, probably around 13. She is curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth.

"We're here!" Janet tells her. "Come one, we'll help you out."

The girl doesn't turn around, doesn't seem to notice all of the noise.

Janet reaches out and taps the girl on the shoulder. The girl whips around. Her face is covered in tears and she's shaking.

"What happened?" she asks me.

"The Metro crashed," Janet replies.

The girl stares at her, "What did you say?"

* * *

Shannon POV

I wake up at 1 in the morning with a sense of foreboding and head into our kitchen to make myself a cup of tea. I put the water on the stove and lean against the counter as I wait for it to boil. When it does, I grab a cup and a peppermint tea bag. As it's steeping, the phone rings loudly. I wonder who would be calling at this time of night, but I pick up anyway.

"Hello, who is this?" I ask.

I hear hysterical sobbing on the other side of the phone. After a few seconds, the person seems to get themselves together for a moment, "It's Nettie."

"What's wrong?"

"It's Ari," she replies. "He, Kate, and Joey DiNozzo were in the Metro accident! Anna just called. Joey…" here she breaks off for a moment. "Joey's dead! Kate lost her hearing. It may be permanent. And Ari!"

She continues sobbing and then takes a deep breath, "Ari's in a coma! We're all at the Washington Adventist Hospital right now."

I gasp, "That's awful! What can we do to help? Do you want us to take Ziva? She can stay here while Ari's in the hospital."

Nettie agrees gratefully, and I'm glad that I can do something for her.

I had heard about the Metro crash, but I didn't know that anyone I knew was on it. I was going to call in the morning to see if I could help, but now… Now it's much closer to home.

I hesitate for a moment, "Wait, do the DiNozzo's know?"

"Yes. Well, Julia knows. Anthony took them to a baseball game last night. He wasn't with them because he got drunk and wandered away from them. Anna told them to take the Metro home and she would pick them up. Julia's at the morgue. I'm not sure if Anthony is there, too. It's the least that fucking asshole could do! He left them alone. Oh, Shannon, what am I going to do?" Nettie bursts into tears again.

"Let me wake Jethro and Kelly. We'll be there as soon as we can," I promise. I end the call and then sprint into our bedroom.

I shake Jethro awake, "Jethro, honey, wake up!"

He wakes up with a start and reaches for his gun, "Shan, what's wrong?"

I tell him what Nettie told me as he is pulling on clothes. He heads outside to start the car as I go to wake Kelly.

She opens her eyes as I tumble into her room and turn the lights on, She looks at me sleepily, "Mommy? What time is it?"

"It's 1:15, sweetie. We have to go. I'll explain in the car. Get dressed quickly, Daddy's waiting outside."

* * *

Harry POV

_I am running. I don't know what from, but I know that I have to keep moving. Behind me, all I can see is darkness. I am on a street with many houses. They all have lights on. They seem warm and inviting with someone holding open the door. _

_At the first house, I see Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs. I run up to them, but they shut the door in my face and scream at me, asking why they should help me. Then I run up to Kelly and Tim, Abby, Ziva, Remus, and then even my mum but each of them yell at me. They ask me why I was ever born. I am disgusting, a freak. I can't get away from them, and soon I realize that hey are telling the truth, I know they are. _

_I can't stop running even as the tears stream down my face. The darkness is closing in on me and I try to get away from it but no one will let me in. No one wants me. No one except the darkness which envelops me tightly. I kick and fight, I try to get out, I try but I can't. _

_Finally, I give up. I curl into a ball and cry as the darkness keeps coming. At least it wants me. _

_Suddenly, it stops coming. I hear a soft voice which I soon recognize as my mum's. I reach for her, trying to get to her, but the darkness is too strong. It holds me in and I can't get out. I claw and push, but I'm not getting anywhere. Tears are pouring down my face and I am sweating. My mum tells me that all I have to do is get to her. I just have to find her and everything will be all right, _

_The darkness starts to shake me and then my mum's voice turns deeper. It's Remus' voice now, and he's calling my name._

"Harry, wake up! Come on, it's just a dream," he tells me.

I reach for him and find myself in his arms gasping for air.

"Sh, sh," he tries to calm me. "You're okay, it was just a dream. I'm here."

I take deep breaths as he pulls me close and rubs my back.

"You know," he begins, "when you were a baby and you got upset, your parents would always rub your back like this and you would stop crying.

"Then your mum would sing you a song that she learned from her mum and you would fall asleep on her shoulder. Your dad would try to sing the song to you, but you would have none of it. You rarely fell asleep when he did, but those special moments when you would, made him so happy. He loved it when you fell asleep on him. He would hold you and rock you back and forth, beaming."

By this time, I've calmed down a little. I'm breathing normally and my eyes have dried.

"Remus, why are you here?" I ask him. It's not unusual for him to visit me, but he doesn't normally come at 1 in the morning.

"Mrs. Feldman called me. They tried to wake you, but they couldn't. What was your dream about, Pup?"

I feel ashamed that he had to come here at such an early hour just for me, so I don't answer.

"Pup, look at me. You are not a burden. I love you and love being with you. I will always take care of you, whatever time it is. That's never going to change," he tells me firmly. Somehow he knows what I was thinking. He picks me up and brings me into one of the visiting rooms so we don't wake anyone else. Mrs. Feldman knows by now that Remus can show himself out but she stays awake anyway.

"It's true," he adds, knowing that even though I nod I don't truly believe him.

"And I wish that I could adopt you, but I can't. One day I'll tell you why, but not now. Remember, Pup, I left England to come here and be with you. Your Grandmum is trying to figure things out over there for you. She says that she wants to visit, but can't right now. She's making sure that nothing else happens to you."

"What about Padfoot?" I ask. Remus has been telling me all about my parents and their group of friends called the Marauders.

"Remember when I told you that people thought that he was bad and he went to jail, but it wasn't really him?" After my nod, Remus continues, "No one's ever left the jail after being there for so long. The government is keeping him in the country to make sure that there aren't any… effects," he finishes.

I nod gratefully, "Can tell me more about my parents?

"Have I ever told you about Christmas of 1979?" He asks.

I shake my head.

"Before your parents became friends, they didn't like each other too much. Your dad could be pretty arrogant and your mum was very proud and stubborn. Your dad would always carry around a snitch. A snitch is a small, golden ball with wings that flies. It's used for a wizarding game called Quidditch. Your dad would carry one around and play with it. Lily thought that he had a big head and was showing off. He was," Remus adds, laughing.

"By the time they started going out, your dad had stopped playing with it all the time and he wasn't nearly as arrogant. For every Christmas after your parents started dating, your mum would give your dad a decorated snitch with a gift inside. Your dad loved them. He was the type of person that could laugh at himself.

"Actually, he had a snitch collection with really funny ones that your mum had found.

"Anyway, the Christmas of 1979 we were all at your parents' house. It was your parents, Sirius, Peter, Frank, Alice, and me. Your mum and Alice made a huge meal while the rest of us decorated the house and the tree."

"Who are Alice and Frank?" I ask. Remus hasn't talked about them before.

"They were other friends of ours. We became good friends with them after we left school. Their son was born only a day before you." He tells me.

"What happened to them?"

"They were tortured right after your parents were killed. They are in a hospital permanently and they don't even recognize their own son," he looks down sadly, but smiles slightly. "Maybe you can meet him some day. His name is Neville and I've heard that he's a really nice boy. He lives with Frank's mother.

"So in 1979, we weren't just celebrating Christmas. Alice had just found out that she was pregnant and we had captured a lot of the bad people that eventually hurt your parents. We were very happy to be alive and be with friends.

"Your mum and Alice were amazing cooks. During a holiday, they would show us out of kitchen and we weren't allowed to help. Your dad would sometimes cook, but that year he was kicked out of the kitchen so the women could talk.

"Christmas feasts were huge and delicious. After we stuffed our faces, we would sit around the tree and give out presents. Soon, it was your mum's turn to give them out. We all recognized the traditional wrapping and shape of what we dubbed the 'snitch box'

"Your dad picked it up and it made some noise like a maraca. He eagerly opened it and in the box there was not a golden snitch, but instead a blue and pink checkered one. He smiled and was about to press the small place on the snitch to get it open.

"Before he could open it, your mum stopped him. He looked questioningly at her and she looked a little nervous as she answered, 'I just thought it might come in handy soon.'

"For a few moments, none of us knew what she meant but suddenly your dad jumped up and ran over to her. They had one of their silent conversations and then your dad beamed and hugged your mum tightly. She turned to the rest of us and told us that she was pregnant. I'd never seen him so happy.

"They were a little worried because of the war and they were so young, but it didn't stop them from being excited anyways," Remus finishes.

He smiles and hugs me, "That was a very fun Christmas."

Remus has been visiting me a lot since I got to the adoption center. He tells me stories about magic and my parents. I love the stories that Remus tells me.

Kelly, Abby, Tim, and Ziva come by sometimes, but I also see them in school.

"Thanks, Remus. Sorry that they had to wake you up," I tell him. My life's been a lot better after I left the hospital. I have nightmares sometimes and my body is still sore, but overall I'm doing better.

"It's fine, Pup, don't worry. I'll pick you up in the morning to take you to the Gibbs', okay?" I nod. Tomorrow they're taking me to the zoo.

"Bye, Remus. See you-," Remus' phone rings loudly.

He picks it up, "Hello?"

His face turns pale as he listens, "No, I'm here… Okay, we'll be there soon."

He turns to me, "Harry, we have to get to the hospital."

* * *

Kelly POV

As we walk towards the hospital room where Ari is, we pass Abby and the McGees in Kate's room. I rush down the hall into Ari's room and hug Ziva tightly, "Are you going to be okay?"

She nods, "I'm fine."

I shake my head, "No you're not. Your brother is in a coma. You don't have to be strong with me."

"That's just the thing, I have to be strong for him! He's my brother! He's always strong for me. I just… don't know what to do," she's trying to hold it together, but she can't.

Ziva rarely shows emotion and usually, it's only to me, but here she is crying in front of everyone else.

I know that she hates doing that, so I pull her to the side.

"Kelly, he's the only one that always been there. When my mom and Tali were killed, he was there. My dad ignored us or yelled at us. Ari protected me and he was my rock. Then my dad sent us to Aunt Nettie. You know, I had only met her once before we moved here.

"Ari was the only one that I knew. I spoke English, but not well. He protected me," She takes a deep breath and then breaks down.

I turn to my mom and she smiles weakly at me.

Over on the other side of the room, I see Aunt Nettie crying as she turns to the doctor and nods slowly.

He tells everyone but Aunt Nettie that we have to leave, even Ziva, and we walk outside into a waiting room and Ziva grabs my hand as we just sit there.

A few moments later, Aunt Nettie walks out and her face is stained with tears.

"Ari's dead."

* * *

**A/N: It's a sad chapter, I know. I had to have that happen to work out the rest of my story. Actually Kate was also going to die, but a review changed that. **

**Again, Happy New Year!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So in this chapter, it's been one month since the accident.**

**I know that this story has been jumping around a lot. Please bear with me and it will get better. Soon, everything will come together.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or NCIS**

* * *

**Kate POV**

I still wake up in the mornings and expect to hear my alarm. I expect to hear Tim telling me to hurry up, and Sarah's exuberant voice chattering away. I still wait to hear Ari's smooth voice and Joey's loud one. I even anticipate my father yelling at my mom and her taking it out on poor Tim. But I don't hear any of it. No voices, no street sounds, no dog barks, no nothing. Silence.

Every day, I go to a therapist who specializes in working with deaf patients. She patiently teaches me sign language, but she usually just writes to me. I can still speak, but sometimes Cathy has to tell me speak up or quiet down. I can understand some people if they speak slowly and deliberately, but it's so frustrating. I hate it.

My life is silent. I never laugh and I rarely smile. After school, I go home and pick up a book. I do homework and then read for hours. I don't hang out with anyone anymore, and I know that I'll never go to a baseball game again. My friends are dead. I will never see Joey again, or hear him make a joke. I'll never be his shoulder to cry on when his dad gets drunk or his mom's cancer gets worse. He'll never tease me about Ari again. And Ari…

I squeeze my eyes shut as the tears threaten to fall. I miss him. I think about him all the time. He's been my best friend since he and Ziva came two years ago. He tried to protect me and when I got scared, he was there. We'll never get to hold hands again like we did that night. I'm never going to hug him or see him be the best brother in the world for Ziva. Abby will never tease us again, and she'll never get a chance to rub it in that she was right.

I sit in my room and cry silently, just like the rest of my world.

* * *

**Kelly POV**

Ziva, Harry and I are jumping rope on the blacktop as Abby and Tim sit in the grass. Abby is patiently trying to teach Tim sign language, but he's getting frustrated.

"I can't do this, Abby," He yells.

Abby narrows her eyes, "Listen up, Timmy. I'm trying to help you. I know that this is hard. Deal with it. Okay, so tell me 'Hi, how was your day?'" Abby crosses her arm and waits as Tim moves his hands tentatively.

When he's done, Abby beams and claps loudly. "That's it, you've got it. Okay, let's keep going."

Abby's been teaching Tim sign language ever since we found out that Kate's hearing loss was permanent. Tim's been having a really hard time with it. We've all tried to help, but I know that he has to do some of it on his own. He has to accept that Kate is deaf and that Ari's dead.

Ziva hasn't been the same since, either. She's quiet and rarely smiles anymore. She's started this habit of wearing jackets and sweaters all the time, even when it's warm out. She never stands up for herself or anyone else, even against DiNozzo.

DiNozzo's been different, too. If anything, after his brother died, he's just been worse.

Just as I'm thinking about this, I see DiNozzo and McCadden come up to us. Dudley was left as soon as his parents were put in jail.

They go up to Tim and tap him on the shoulder. Harry, Ziva, and I walk over to them. DiNozzo smirks, "So, how's your idiot sister? Now you've got to be like a monkey and talk with your hands because she's so stupid!"

DiNozzo and McCadden laugh and then dance around like monkeys, screwing up their faces and making sounds.

Abby's eyes flash with anger as she stands up abruptly and stomps hard on DiNozzo's foot. He winces in pain before holding it and hopping around.

He manages to continue goading Tim, "What's the matter? You need your girlfriend to protect you?"

Tim's face turns beat red and before I can do anything, he punches DiNozzo in the face as hard as he can. DiNozzo looks shocked as he holds his nose. Philip walks up to Tim, and Tim seems to deflate slightly, but he's suddenly flat out on the ground before he can move another inch. To my side, I can see Harry looking a little flushed and surprised, but also trying to hide a small grin. It falls away as soon as Ziva runs up to McCadden and leans over him.

"Don't you dare hurt him," she hisses into his ear.

DiNozzo is sitting on the ground with Tim looking down on him.

"This is your fault!" Tim yells. Hot tears of anger are streaming down his face. "It is your fault that my sister is deaf! It is your fault that Ari is dead! You keep telling all of us about how your parents are so rich, but that got them killed! They just had to go to that stupid game and…" Tim breaks off, but then continues. He is yelling now, and some of the other kids start to look our way.

"It is your family's fault! Without your brother, they would have never gone to the game. Without your dad, they wouldn't have left so late and their train wouldn't have crashed. I hate you, Tony DiNozzo! This is all your fault."

Tim stops talking and then stomps off. Abby follows, and then Ziva is close behind after she spits on McCadden and kicks DiNozzo. Harry and I sigh before running after our friends and leaving the boys curled up on the ground.

* * *

**Harry POV**

I'm having trouble believing what just happened. First Tim punching DiNozzo in the face, and then my bout of accidental magic. It's been a strange few months. Kelly and I run to catch up with Abby, Tim and Ziva. We find a bench and Tim sits down, looking worn out. Abby sits next to him and just holds his hand as he starts to cry.

Ziva walks over to a tree and then suddenly starts kicking it, over and over. She yells in Hebrew as she does so, screaming and crying before breaking down completely. She melts as Kelly hugs her tightly.

I feel like the outsider, not knowing where to go, but soon Kelly gestures Abby, Tim, and me over to her. We sit on the ground in a tight hug until the recess bell rings, and by then we know that no teacher will come looking for us. Because we know that DiNozzo may be a tattletale, but also doesn't want anyone to know that we were the ones that hurt him.

* * *

Tonight, Remus and I are going over to Ziva's house for Shabbat dinner. Remus said that Ziva's aunt had some questions and that she wanted Ziva to have someone her age over to make her smile. I told Remus that I wasn't the one that could make her smile, but he told me that the best thing that I could do for her was just to be there. He said that he did that when Aunt Petunia and my mum stopped being friends, and slowly she got better.

Remus rings the doorbell and we are ushered into a small house by a woman looking a few years older than Remus. She sits us down at a table with a fancy tablecloth, two candlesticks, and a plate of bread covered in cloth. She calls for Ziva to come sit down at the table with us. Ziva enters and shoots me a quick smile before sitting down.

Ms. David lights the candles and says a prayer. She then says another one, and I follow Ziva when she takes a sip of the grape juice. We then uncover the bread in the middle of the table and after Ziva sings one last prayer, we break it and eat.

Dinner goes by uneventfully and soon, we clean off our plates. Ms. David tells Ziva to bring me to her room as she and Remus talk. Ziva brings me into a small room with royal blue walls. She has pictures of her and her mum, sister, and brother hanging all over the walls. We sit down on her bed in silence and we don't talk for the first few minutes. Finally, I look at her and ask her something that I know helps me when I'm thinking about my mum and dad, "What was your bother like?"

She looks at me and swallows deeply and for a moment, I'm worried that I asked the wrong thing. After a moment, however, her expression softens and she begins to tell me.

She tells me all about how they used to play together and how he would read to her every night. She talks to me about what it was like when her dad hurt her and then Ari would try to help. Some of the memories are sad, but some are happy. By the end, she begins to laugh and smile at the good ones.

When Remus calls for me and it's time to leave, I get off the bed and say goodbye to Ziva. Before I get down the hall, however, Ziva calls me back.

"Harry?" She yells after me.

I turn around and walk back to her, "Yeah, Ziva?"

"Thanks," she tells me before smiling and walking into room. "I'll see you Monday!"

"Have a good weekend!" I tell her and then walk over to Remus.

He grins at me and we hop into the car.

"So, could you help Ziva?" Remus asks me.

"I think so," I reply. "She smiled a little."

"Just me patient, pup. She won't be fine over night. And she will never get over what happened. She'll just get through."

Remus drops me off at the orphanage and waves goodbye.

* * *

Today is my first visit from a family. Mrs. Feldman calls it a tentative family visit. They're going to come and bring me into the big room and just talk to me to see if they want to bring me home.

Mrs. Feldman said that the family coming today is a mom, a dad, and a one-year-old baby.

I have to get dressed up in a sweater and nice slacks and then I can go into the room. I enter and there are three people in the room, just like Mrs. Feldman said.

She introduces us and then goes to sit outside. I know that she'll go back to her office and sit in a big chair with a clipboard. One of the other boys here, Kyle, told me that she listens to the conversations in the big room. That's how she knows everything that happens. I don't know if I believe him, though.

I smile shyly and then look down at my shoes when they don't say anything.

The woman, I think her name is Maggie Barlow, smiles at me. She holds out her hand, "Hi, Harry. I'm Maggie. This is my husband, Greg, and our baby girl, Tessa."

I shake her hand and then look at her, "May I say hi to Tessa?"

She nods, "Just be careful. Tessa will grab anything that moves."

I walk over to the small stroller and I wiggle my fingers around at the baby. She laughs and claps in delight. She reaches up to my hand and grabs my thumb. Maggie laughs a little, but then comes over and rescues my thumb.

"Didn't I tell you?" She grins and then her husband joins us.

My face flushes and I turn away as he comes over, "Hi, Harry. How are you."

"Good, sir," I tell him quietly. "And yourself?" I try to be respectful like Aunt Petunia always taught me, but it sounds too formal.

Greg seems to have the opposite thought, "Well, Maggie, it looks like we've got a boy with good manners! It seem as though we won't have to instill any on him."

I shrink back when I hear that. This family seems kind, but Uncle Vernon used to say things like that to me before he hurt me.

Maggie chuckles a little before turning back to me, "So, Harry, where do you go to school?"

I tell her and she smiles, "You know, I went to Adelphi when I was in elementary school! Well, you won't be going there for much longer. We'll be moving to North Dakota soon."

I gulp; I don't want to leave all of my new friends! Plus, Remus is here. I don't think that he'd move for me again.

After that, the meeting doesn't go very well. I'm too concentrated on the fact that I might be moving that I barely answer any of their questions. It ends soon after and they leave. I wave goodbye to Tessa and then walk over to my bed before Mrs. Feldman calls me back, "Harry, dear, can you come here for a moment?"

I run over to her office and she tells me to take a seat. She gets out her clipboard and puts on her reading glasses, "All right, Harry. So how was your first meeting?"

"Fine, ma'am," I tell her.

"Just fine?" She asks.

"Yes," I reply. "They want me to move."

"Do you want to move?" Mrs. Feldman responds.

"No, Mrs. Feldman. I don't. I've got Remus, and the Gibbs', and Ziva, and everyone else! I really don't want to go!" I explain before shutting down and pulling myself into a tight ball. I shouldn't have told her all of that. She'll think that I'm ungrateful.

Instead, she just smiles at me, "It's okay, Harry. Then you won't have to go. You know, it's very rare for people to find their new home on the first visit. Don't worry. You'll have more soon. In the meantime, would you like a cookie?"

Mrs. Feldman always has a jar of cookies that are kept for special occasions. I got one when I first came here, but this is only my second since.

I nod and then she smiles warmly and tells me to go play outside. I eat my cookie and then head out into the sunshine.

A few days later, I hear her talking on the phone with the Barlows. She's sounds a little frustrated, but she's trying to stay patient, "No… Of course, yes I do understand… Mrs. Barlow, I told you that there was no guarantee that you will get the first child that you apply for… No, it was not him… there are many different reasons… Goodbye Mrs. Barlow."

She sees my looking into the office and she smiles before waving me on to do my homework.

* * *

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed! Let me know what you think**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Umm, I am so sorry that this took me so long to get put! And this chapter is basically all adults... It's going to be slow for a few chapters, but then things will pick up again, I promise.**

**This chapter takes place about three months after the accident. I realized that in canon, Tony's mother would be dead by now. She's not dead at the moment though, but she does have cancer. Just wanted to clear that up. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or NCIS.**

* * *

Mrs. Wiles POV

"Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo, I would like to bring to your attention your son's behavior over the last three months, ever since the accident. He has barely spoken out of turn or teased members of the class that I have spoken with you about in the past. Generally, I would be elated by this positive change in behavior, but there are a few red flags that I would like to bring to your attention. This change came suddenly and with no warning."

I take a deep breath as I think about the young boy that is acting so unlike himself.

_Since the accident, Tony has gotten worse, if possible. He is rude to many of the other students and bullies them as soon as I turn my back. I have gotten many phone calls and letters sent in with some of the students. I have talked to him about it many times as well as having a meeting with his parents, but nothing seems to work. I set up a meeting with him to work with Mr. Kilner. He is the school counselor and hopefully should be able to help. If nothing can be done or if it gets worse, he will have to suggest that Tony move schools. Hopefully, something can be figured out before that. I would hate to add that burden onto the DiNozzos. _

_It's recess now and a beautiful day out, as long as you're prepared. I open the window slightly to let in some air as I eat my lunch and grade papers. The cool breeze rushes into my overheated and slightly stuffy classroom and I smile; I've always loved the cool, crisp weather. In with the breeze, I can here bits of conversation between some of my students. _

_I don't mean to, but I hear Philip talking with Tony, "What should we do?"_

_There's no response._

"_Come on, let's go bother them," Philip replies to his own question._

_I strain to hear Tony's response and soon, I think that I'm mistaken, that it's not Tony talking, but it is. "Let's just leave them alone. They're not worth it."_

"_But…" Philip starts to protest but Tony cuts him off, "We can do something on our own."_

_I smile slightly and shiver as a blast of cold air hits my neck. _

"Now, Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo, if this change had happened right after the accident, I would not be as alarmed. However, it happened about a month after. Did Tony start acting strangely at home, too? The events may have finally hit him, or something, but have you noticed a change as well?"

Mr. DiNozzo shrugs. I've never liked him much; he seems like he couldn't really care less. Mrs. DiNozzo, on the other hand, nods slightly, "It's just like you said. Tony became quiet and almost listless. He never wants to do anything. He just sits and stares. A few times, I've seen him sitting on his bed with tears in his eyes, but if he sees me he just slams his door."

"Have you sought professional help?" I ask.

Mrs. DiNozzo looks helplessly at her husband, "No, we haven't."

"You should consider it. Mr. Kilner can certainly help, but I would recommend that he see a therapist or psychiatrist."

Mr. DiNozzo stares at me, "What right do you have invading our privacy and telling us what to do like that?"

Mrs. DiNozzo puts a hand comfortingly on his shoulder, trying to get him to calm down, but he just shrugs it off.

"No! I want to know why the hell you think you can bring us in here to tell us what to do with our own child!"

I take a deep breath, using all of my will power not to explode right back at him. After talking with Ms. David, I found out that Mr. DiNozzo had become inebriated and left the kids alone.

"Sir, my father died when I was seven. I know what it's like to lose a family member. Tony needs help. It is very normal to need help after the death of a loved one. I'm not trying to pry, I just want to help Tony, as I'm sure you do as well."

I manage to solicit a small nod from Mrs. DiNozzo, "Thank you. We'll consider it."

"Let me know if you need anything or would like to talk more."

She nods as her husband sits there and glares at me, "I think you've done enough meddling."

Without another word, they get up a leave. I sit back and take a deep breath. It's times like these that I think about retiring.

* * *

The kids come in the next day and Tony immediately sidles up to me. He mumbles something and hands out a note, but I'm not able to understand what he's saying.

"What was that, dear?"

"This is a note from my mom," He shoves the note into my hands and scuttles away to sit with Philip.

It's not until lunch that I have time to open the note. Inside, Mrs. DiNozzo has written me a note.

Mrs. Wiles,

I truly appreciate you trying to help out Tony. I have noticed it and would like to get him some help, but I don't know where to start. Could you recommend a place? If you return a note, please give it to Tony and tell him to give it directly to me and not his father. Also, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but I have cancer and am not able to do everything that I wish I could for Tony. Do you know anyone who I could hire to drive him places or just spend some time with him? I appreciate you helping Tony. I know he's not the easiest to live with, but he's my baby and I love him very much. He may not act like it, but he misses his brother. Again, thank you.

Julia Paddington DiNozzo

I call Mr. Kilner and we talk for a few minutes before I jot down a few names and numbers for Mrs. DiNozzo to call. I sincerely hope that they can help.

I give the sheet to Tony with instructions to give it to his mom. Our eyes connect and it seems like some sort of understanding passes between us. For the first time, I can see a real smile emerging on the boy's features. "Okay."

And it's times like these that I'm glad I'm not retired, because it feels amazing to help someone find the light.

* * *

Remus POV

"Come in, Remus, come in!" Nettie David ushers me in to her kitchen. Nettie seems a little nervous and agitated, but I decide to stay quiet and ask later. I kiss her cheek lightly and give her a bottle of wine and some homemade apple pie.

"What can I do to help out?" I ask. I've been spending a lot of time over here with Nettie, trying to help her get through Ari's death. She says that even though she's seen death before, too much, this is by far the hardest it's ever been. She's taken me under her wing, helping me get a job at the local library and find a place to live. In return, I've helped take care of Ziva and the rest of the kids.

"Nothing, nothing. Oh, actually could you be a mensch and mix the salad?"

Nettie hands me the salad tongs as I smile to myself. She treats me like a little brother, and from what I've heard, her younger brother by blood leaves much to be desired.

She told me about Eli and what he did to Ari and Ziva. Those kids are very strong, especially Ziva. Once the kids find out about magic, as I expect they will at some point, I'll have to talk with Ziva. In a way, some of our experiences are the same. My parents didn't know how to deal with my condition and couldn't find a way to help with the pain. During the full moon, I would be sent into a steel box and left there until morning. I would wake up naked, cold, and tired. My whole body would be covered with scratches and bite marks, cuts from where I had scraped the steel and the shavings had imbedded themselves into my skin.

I snap back to reality as Ziva comes down the stairs and quietly talks to her aunt in Hebrew. Ziva smiles at something Nettie says and she runs outside just as a car horn honks. Gibbs and Shannon invited all of the kids plus Sarah over for dinner. The five of them are almost as close as we were, and love spending time together, and Shannon will play with Sarah. Whenever I see her with young kids, I can see why she became a preschool teacher; she's great with them.

"So, Remus, how is work?" Nettie asks, seeming a little more relaxed.

We sit down at the small table to eat. "It's good. Next week I'm going to start teaching a weekly class on British history."

"Oh, really! That should be wonderful. I'll have to come check it out."

"How is everything with you?" I smile at her.

She fidgets slightly and her gaze flits around nervously, "Remus, I have a proposition for you."

"Sure. What's going on? Is everything all right?" After I say this, I realize how stupid a question it is, but Nettie's already started to answer.

"No. Well, yes. As right as I could be considering."

"Nettie? What did you want to ask me?"

"It's about Harry."

* * *

**A/N: So, what's Nettie going to say? **

**Who should Harry be adopted by? I know that this wasn't really addressed in this chapter, but it will be very important in the next few.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hello everyone! I hope that you like it!**

**And thank you to everyone who reviewed. You don't know how excited I get when I see them. Some of you correctly predicted what would happen this chapter, so congratulations!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to NCIS or Harry Potter.**

* * *

Remus POV

"Well, I've been thinking. Ziva hasn't been doing very well. She's been a little better since talking to Harry, and I'd like to find a way to make her happy again. Every time she is, she thinks that Ari would be upset that she's smiling and laughing. I try to convince her that he wouldn't, but she doesn't always believe me," Nettie wrings her hands nervously and pulls a piece of paper from her pocket.

"What is that?" I ask.

"I want to adopt Harry," Nettie tells me.

"You what?" I gape at her. I don't know what I was expecting, but certainly not this.

"Yes, I want to adopt him. I've been thinking about it for a while, even before, well, you know…" Nettie trails off and I can tell that she's thinking about the night that the Metro crashed.

She clears her throat, "Harry is a great kid, and he's been through so much. I have a lot of money saved up, so we'll be fine. Plus, I think that he would be a great sibling to Ziva. They are already great friends, and she could use his advice and friendship. Harry has managed to worm his way into all of our hearts, and while I don't love his as much as if he was my own, I know that I will soon," Nettie smiles slightly.

"I've told you about Eli. It takes me a while to trust people. With Harry, though, it's so easy to trust him. He made Ziva smile and she's the most important person in this world to me now. He deserves a family, and I want to give it to him."

"Have you asked Harry?" I ask.

"No, not yet. I wanted to tell you first," Nettie shakes her head.

"Why did you need to tell me first?" I ask.

"You are practically Harry's father. I wanted to get your permission because I know how much you care. But I also have a couple of questions. First, I know that Gibbs told us that you can't take Harry in and it was for a good reason. I trust Gibbs and I have known him long enough to know that he wouldn't lie about this. I'll take Harry in if you accept no matter what, but I'd like to know why you can't. And second, I was wondering if you would like to move in."

"Move in? Why?" I am stunned.

"Because you _are _basically Harry's father. I want you to be around him as much as possible and I know that he wants to be near you as well. This way it can be like you adopted him, but legally I did. You also mean a lot to Ziva. Whatever you say to her makes her face light up. You remind me a little of Ari, except older and—I hope you don't mind my saying this—more bitter," Nettie shrugs. "So, will you?"

I take a deep breath. Besides taking him in myself, this is the best situation that I could have ever asked for. I nod slowly, "I will. I want to talk to Harry first, to make sure that it's all okay with him, but I would love to. You don't know how much this means to me. I…" My throat closes up and I stand up to hug Nettie.

"Just thank you."

After we'd eaten, I turn to Nettie, "You said that you had some questions for me."

"Yes. Come on, let's sit on the couch." Nettie takes off her shoes and pulls her legs onto the couch and under her. "I wanted to know why you can't take Harry in. If it is too, umm… personal, I understand, but if not I would like to know."

I think about it for a few moments, but then I shake my head regretfully. I'll have to tell her soon, but for the moment, she doesn't have to know. And if she doesn't have to know, I won't tell her. Letting people into the Wizarding World is a difficult decision and must be taken very seriously. I can't tell Nettie yet.

"I'm sorry, Nettie. I will tell you in the future, I promise, but not now."

"It's fine, Remus. I'm going to turn in the adoption application as soon as you talk with Harry. When do you want to move in? We have an extra bedroom that no one's stayed in for years," Nettie gets up and beckons me to follow her.

"My lease is up for my apartment in two weeks, I guess I'll move in then, if it's alright with you. Oh, and Nettie, a few days a month, I will be staying somewhere else. Sometimes the library sends me away to look for new books or go to a conference. It's usually around two or three days," I inform her innocently.

"That's fine! Just let me know. Here's your new room," we stop in front of a doorway.

I enter the room and look around slowly. It's a nice room, with mint green walls and off-white window frames. It has a dresser, a closet, and a small nightstand. Against the opposite wall is a desk and then a door leading into the bathroom.

"Nettie, this is beautiful!"

She shrugs, "I've never had any use for it until now. You can do whatever you want with it."

I laugh loudly, "Believe me, I would just mess this up. It's great how it is. I really appreciate it. How much do you want me to pay you per month?"

"Oh, nonsense!" Nettie shakes her head. "You don't have to pay me anything. If it makes the Ziva and Harry happy, it's priceless."

"I won't pay you nothing. At least let me pay for Harry's things," I protest.

"We'll discuss this later," Nettie tells me firmly. "Now, it's time to pick up the kids. You'll talk to Harry, yes?"

"No, you should tell him, Nettie. Have you talked to Ziva yet?" I ask.

Nettie nods, "Yes, I told her earlier today. She was so excited but I made her promise not to tell him."

"He'd want to hear it from you. It would mean a lot to him if you were the one who told him. It would show him that you're taking the time to do something nice for him. He's not exactly used to that," I shrug.

"Are you sure?" I nod and Nettie hesitantly smiles, "Okay. Should we head over to the Gibbs'?"

* * *

We drive over separately and then walk in together. Harry sees me and beams and hugs me.

"Hi, Remus! Look what I made!" He shows me a tie-dyed shirt that's hanging outside the window on a clothesline. "That's mine, and the one next to it is Kelly's. And then there's Tim's and Abby's. Sarah tried to make one, too, but it didn't turn out very well."

"I love it, Harry! I've actually never tie-dyed anything," I say. We didn't have it growing up and by the time I learned about it, I never had a reason to.

Harry's brow wrinkles, "I'll teach you."

"That sounds great," I smile.

Nettie comes over with a beaming Ziva. Ziva's bouncing up and down and comes to a halt right in front of Harry.

"Harry, Aunt Nettie wants to ask you something," she tells him quickly.

In the background, I see Gibbs, Shannon, and the rest of the kids smiling. I can tell that they know what's about to happen.

Nettie bends down and smiles at Harry.

"Harry, I've got a question to ask you."

"Yeah?" He asks shyly.

"Well, Harry, I was wondering if you wanted to come live with Ziva and me. And if you wanted, Remus could come and live with us, too. What do you think?"

Harry looks at me hesitantly and I nod. A broad grin spreads across his face, "Yes, Ms. David! I'd like that very much."

"No, none of that Ms. David. You can call me Nettie or even Aunt Nettie like Ziva."

He smiles shyly, "Thank you. That would make me very happy. And Remus would live with us?"

"Yep, he would. He'd be right down the hall all the time. So, what do you say?" Nettie grins and holds out her arms to hug Harry.

Harry steps forward slowly and Nettie pulls him to her chest. Harry's arms wrap hesitantly around Nettie. After a few seconds, he lets go. He hugs Ziva and then steps back, trying to take it all in. He seems a little stunned, but is soon blindsided by Abby.

Abby hugs Harry tightly and squeals, "This is so exciting! You can be Ziva's sister. And now we can see you more often and this is going to be so much fun!"

Tim comes up behind her and smiles, "I'm glad you found a home."

All of the adults are smiling broadly. Shannon, Nettie and Remus all have tears in their eyes and Gibbs' eyes are shining.

Harry turns to Kelly and she hugs him tightly. He returns the hug and then the tears fall. Everyone is standing there, in the Gibbs' kitchen, with tears of joy running down their faces. Well, except for Gibbs. He's just smiling along with everyone else.

Kelly and Harry separate but Harry grabs Kelly's hand. It seems like he's holding on for strength, that he's almost weak with happiness. I've never seen him smile so much.

A few minutes later, after all of the excitement, I notice that the kids all seem tired. They're trying to hide it, but every few seconds one of the kids yawns and is followed closely by the rest.

Anna comes in to take an already sleeping Sarah and a very tired Tim home. Nettie leaves with Ziva and Abby, whom she was dropping off, a few minutes later after kissing Harry on the cheeks and telling him that she would try to get everything complete so that he could move in as soon as possible.

I talk with Shannon and Gibbs and then call for Harry. There's no answer, but out of the corner of my eye I see Harry and Kelly asleep on the couch, holding hands. Shannon grabs a camera and snaps a picture of the two of them before I pick up Harry softly and head outside. I say goodbye and place him in the car before driving Harry back to the orphanage.

"Goodnight, Pup. You'll be home soon."

* * *

Harry POV

I wake up the next morning as the light streams through the window of the room that I share with three other boys. It's not until breakfast that I realize that what happened last night wasn't a dream.

I'm in the middle of eating an orange when Mrs. Feldman calls me back to her office. Some of the other kids ooh and ah, teasing me as I indignantly tell them that I am not, in fact, in trouble. I'm smiling, though, because I know that they're just teasing. I head into Mrs. Feldman's office and she tells me to take a seat.

"I got a call early this morning from Nettie David. She said that her niece is a friend of yours and she wanted to adopt you. She told me that she had talked with you and Remus would live with you as well. What do you think? Would you like that?" Mrs. Feldman smiles at me kindly.

I nod shyly, "Yes, please."

"Are you sure? You'd be happy there?" She asks while jotting down some notes on her clipboard.

"Yes."

"You don't seem very excited," Mrs. Feldman tells me. "How about we set up a meeting for the three of us this afternoon?"

"Yes ma'am," I reply. I don't want to seem too excited because then she might say no, just to be mean to me. Inside, though, I'm jumping for joy. "Can Remus and Ziva come, too?"

"Is Ziva Ms. David's niece?" At my confirmation, she nods. "I'll call right."

* * *

Nettie POV

Harry runs up to greet us. A small, plump woman comes up behind him.

"Hello, Remus. And you must be Ms. David. I'm Harriet Feldman. Welcome! What's your name?" She asks Ziva.

"This is Ziva," Ziva waves cheerfully. "Please, call me Nettie," I smile at Mrs. Feldman and shake her outstretched hand.

"Come on in!" She turns to Harry and squats down slightly, "Harry, I'm going to talk to Remus and Ms. David for a few minutes on my own. How about you show Ziva around."

"Okay!" He grins and starts to point things out, talking rapidly as he does. Ziva follows him and listens, paying rapt attention to everything he says.

Mrs. Feldman beckons us into the building and then ushers us into her office.

"So, Ms. David, let's get to business. Why do you want to adopt Harry?"

The interview continues for an hour before we go outside to talk with Harry. We observe Harry and Ziva running around and playing with the other kids. When they see us, Harry runs up and hugs Remus and then me.

Mrs. Feldman bends down just as I did last night, "Harry, do you think that you want to have a meeting with Ms. David and Ziva, or should I just put the paperwork through?"

Harry replies and then I turn to him, "Harry, when do you want to move in?"

* * *

**A/N: I have a few things for people to vote on at the moment.**

**Number 1: Should Nettie and Remus get together?**

**Number 2: I will be continuing this story for a few more chapters regardless, but should I**

** a: continue this story through when letters arrive and then have a few chapters that skip large amounts of time as a sort of epilogue**

** b: finish when letters arrive and then write more stories about Harry and his friends**

**I hope you enjoyed!**


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